


Picking Up the Pieces

by mrs_squirrel_chester



Series: The Jax Files [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean Winchester / Original Female Character - Freeform, F/M, Sam Winchester / Original Female Character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-11-12
Packaged: 2018-04-23 16:23:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4883647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrs_squirrel_chester/pseuds/mrs_squirrel_chester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part 2 of the Jax Files, sequel to Falling To Pieces. Dean is out of Hell, but how? What are the repercussions? Sticking as close to canon as possible Rated T for language and violence, this might change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lazarus Rising Part 1

**Ten Weeks Ago**

Ruby strutted into the small motel room, dark eyes coming to a stop on the petite blonde. She gave a snort of disapproval. "When you gonna get rid of short stuff, and how have you not broken her in half by now?"

Sam threw the door closed behind the demon. "Shut it, Ruby."

"Hey, you called me, remember?"

Nicole felt the heat of anger flare to life in the pit of her stomach. "And we can just as easily send your ass back to Hell, permanently if need be." The demon killing blade was unsheathed, shining in the dim lighting.

Ruby laughed, holding out her hands in defense. "Aren't you chock full of piss and vinegar."

The petite blonde growled as her hand tightened on the hilt. Sam's hand on her shoulder was the only thing keeping her from smiting the demon.

"Ruby, we didn't call you here to fight."

The demon shoved her hands into the pockets of her leather coat. "Why _did_ you call me, Sam? Because if it's a threesome you want, I don't think she's game."

Sam tightened his grip on Nicole's shoulder. "We want your help."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "If this is about your brother –"

"You're damn right it's about Dean!"

She pinned Sam with a steely gaze. "Even if I could help, I wouldn't do it."

"Told you." Nicole spat the words out.

Ruby's gaze fell to the short hunter. "Perhaps you need your hearing checked. I. Can't. Help. You."

"You're lying."

"Can't do it, Winchester, sorry." She turned to leave the crappy motel room, but was stopped by an unseen force. She hissed through her teeth as she spun on her heel to face the hunting duo. "You tricked me."

"And you know how to save my brother."

Ruby growled when Nicole smiled triumphantly. "Fine, but you're not going to like what I have to say."

"If it saves my brother, I don't care."

"You might not, but I can guarantee you she'll care."

* * *

**Ten Weeks Later**

Bobby shuffled into his office with a steaming cup of coffee, courtesy of Jax. Just as he dropped into the chair, the old phone rang.

"Yeah?"

"Bobby?"

The voice on the other end sent a shiver down his spine. "Yeah?"

"It's me."

"Who's 'me'?"

"Dean."

Bobby slammed the phone down as if it burned him. There was no way that was Dean. He was in Hell, having God knows what done to him. He wasn't topside, couldn't be. Unless…

The phone rang again. He couldn't hide the anger as it coated his words. "Who is this?"

"Bobby, listen to me."

Whoever, or whatever, it was sounded desperate. "This ain't funny. Call again, I'll kill ya." His hand shook as the receiver fell into the cradle, clattering loudly.

Bobby took a large gulp of his coffee before picking the receiver up, dialing a phone he knew no one would answer.

"You've reached Sam. Leave a message."

"It's Bobby, call me. Now." He repeated the steps with Nicole's phone, she didn't answer either.

To be honest, he didn't expect her to. It's been weeks since anyone has heard from either one of them. Sam, dead set on finding a way to save his brother, and Nicole, not wanting Sam to wander down the wrong path, took off a week after the positive pregnancy test. They had the best intentions, but you know what they say, that's what the road to Hell is paved with.

After leaving a slightly longer message on Nicole's voicemail, Bobby leaned back in the chair and scraped a hand over his face. "Balls."

* * *

Jax pushed up to the balls of her feet, arms bowed out gracefully, hands poised at the edge of the barre. Focusing on her breathing, and her form, she pushed further until she was balancing on her toes; the pointe shoes providing her with a little extra support. Muscles stretched with the movement, the arches in her feet bent beautifully, if she said so herself. The muscle definition in her calves strained against the fabric of her leggings. With her head held high, her neck and shoulders stretched elegantly; making her look taller than she really was.

As she stood in front of the mirror, holding the pose, her eyes fell to the swelling of her stomach; barely noticeable to anyone that didn't know she was 4 months pregnant. Her doctor said she was one of the lucky ones, being so small. The baby was healthy, growing at the recommended rate, so there was no concern for its safety.

Jax began to glide along the floor, her pointe shoes tapping softly on the hardwood. It was then she felt it, the flutter of her unborn child. The baby had recently become active, but when she danced, the baby somersaulted, and spun three-fold. She turned, spinning away from the barre, dancing freely in the open space of the studio. She always felt more relaxed when she was here. Everything fell away as soon as she stepped into any one of the dancing shoes she had spent years breaking in. Not even the memory of Dean getting torn to pieces entered her mind when she got into position.

By the time she returned to the barre, Jax was breathing hard, and her muscles ached, in a good way. Sweat rolled in beads down the back of her neck and between her shoulder blades. Lowering herself to first position, she grabbed onto the barre with one hand; the other fell to her stomach. "I think that's enough for today, little one. What do you think?"

A deep throated chuckle answered the mother to be. "I think she'll take to dancin' like her mama."

Jax couldn't stop the smile from pulling at her mouth. She turned to Bobby, sweeping her thumb over her stomach. "She?"

Bobby shrugged as he entered the room completely. "Call it a gut feelin'."

Even though she was covered in sweat, she fell into the open arms of the older hunter. "Well, we could end the guessing. I have an ultra-sound in a couple of weeks."

He pressed a kiss into her hair before shaking his head. "It's all up to you, darlin'."

Jax stepped out of Bobby's embrace, and noticed a tightness in his face. "What's going on?"

"Can't I come down and say hi?"

She wiped the towel over her face before taking a long pull from a water bottle. "Of course you can, it's just… something's not right."

Bobby sighed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat. "Somethin' happened this morning."

Jax about dropped the bottle. "Sam? Nicole?"

He shook his head. "I still haven't heard from them."

Even though Jax had agreed, Nicole going with Sam was a good idea, but that didn't mean she missed them any less. Her best friend was gone, not answering any form of communication, and Jax was on the verge of hacking into Nicole's computer system, finding them, and marching out there. Her friend was missing everything that was happening with the baby, and Jax couldn't help but feel hurt.

"Then what? Why do you have that look?"

He could never hide anything from her, not for long at least. "It's probably nothing."

"That vein in your forehead wouldn't be throbbing if it were nothing."

A rueful chuckle filled the space between them. "Good point. Got a call this morning from someone."

"Ok."

"Claiming they was Dean."

The ground shifted beneath Jax's feet. Strong hands latched on to her shoulders to keep her from falling to the floor. A different feeling fluttered in her stomach, fear. Their biggest worry was that a demon would find out that she was carrying the child of Dean Winchester, and they would come for her. It looked like that time had come.

She swallowed at the bile in her throat. "What do we do?"

"We go home, and you pack. I got a friend, she'll take good care of you."

"What about you?" She grabbed Bobby's hands from her shoulders, and squeezed.

"I'll take care of it, whatever it is."

* * *

Jax had no sooner closed her bedroom door when someone knocked on the front door. Bobby opened the door to find an exact replica of the hunter they buried four months ago, staring at him.

He was breathing heavy, smiling cautiously at the older hunter. "Surprise."

Bobby's head twitched in disbelief. "I… I don't –"

"Yeah, me neither, but here I am." He stepped slowly into the house.

Bobby reached behind him, grabbing a silver knife he had lying around for a situation just like this. As "Dean" approached, Bobby lunged, slashing at him with the knife. The copycat grabbed Bobby's arm, twisting it around with lightning fast reflexes.

Bobby shifted his weight, breaking free from the hold, and backhanded the imposter.

He stumbled back with a grunt. "Bobby, it's me!"

"My ass!" He lunged forward, the blade held in his iron grip.

A chair was shoved between the two of them just as Jax thundered down the steps, a shotgun in her hands. She stumbled slightly when a pair of intense green eyes met hers. Recovering quickly, she nestled the butt of the gun into her shoulder, and pulled the hammer back, taking aim as she slid to a stop next to Bobby.

He held his hands out, desperation taking hold of his voice. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! Your name is Robert Steven Singer. You became a hunter after your wife got possessed, and… you're about the closest thing I have to a father. Jax… you saved Bobby from that nest of vampires. You teach dance at the community center, and you're my wife. We got married two weeks before –"

Bobby lowered the knife as he stepped closer. Placing a hand on "Dean's" shoulder, he swept the blade through the air. The copycat was quick, subduing, and disarming Bobby in one quick motion.

Jax tightened her grip on the shotgun barrel. "Let him GO!"

Green eyes full of panic flew up. "I am not a shape shifter."

Bobby struggled against the younger man's grip. "Then you're a revenant!"

He shoved Bobby away, and held the blade in front of him. "Alright. If I was either, could I do this… with a silver knife?" He rolled up his sleeve, and grimaced before pressing the razor sharp blade against his skin; a line of blood appeared in its wake.

The older hunter stared in disbelief. "Dean?"

Dean let out a sigh of relief. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."

Bobby grabbed Dean by the shoulders and pulled him against his chest, hugging him tight.

Dean returned the hug, enthusiastically clapping his hands against Bobby's back. His eyes fell to Jax, the gun was still pointed at his head. He watched as her hands began to shake, sending the barrel side to side. He stepped slowly out of Bobby's grip, and held out his hands.

"What do you say we put the gun down, hmm?" He worked hard to keep his voice calm. He could only imagine how frayed her nerves were, and the last thing they needed was for her to pull that trigger. He had just crawled out of a grave, he wasn't exactly keen on going back.

Jax felt her chin begin to quake as tears sprang to life. When her newly resurrected husband took a step closer, she stepped away. "D – don't." She steeled her arms, holding steady the gun that was still aimed at his head.

"Baby, it's me. I'm going to take the gun, ok? I won't hurt you."

She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of everything she had felt when he was alive, when she watched him die, when they buried him. She flicked her eyes to Bobby, and that's when Dean pounced. The gun was ripped away before she could squeeze the trigger.

The instinct to fight took control, and she spun on her heel, hitting Dean in the shoulder with a roundhouse kick. The blow almost knocked him to the ground. Bobby grabbed the gun from Dean, and un-cocked the loaded weapon. With his hands now empty, Dean set about deflecting the oncoming attacks from his wife. When one of her punches went wide, he wrapped his arms around her, trapping her against his chest.

She bucked, fighting to get away from him, but it was no use; his grip was too strong. With her face against his chest, it was the smell of him that did her in. He smelled warm, earthy with a hint of cinnamon. She choked on a sob as her hands slid around his sides, and up the curves of his back before gripping onto his shoulder blades.

His breath was hot against her ear, long fingers tangled in the hair at the back of her neck as the fight left her body. "It's ok, it's me… I'm back, baby." He supported her weight as she collapsed against him.

She wept openly into the curve of his neck. Her prayers had been answered, Dean had come home.

* * *

Jax sat at the kitchen table while Dean showered. The shock of seeing him alive hadn't completely faded.

Bobby set a glass of water down before taking a seat of his own. He kept his voice soft, not wanting to scare her. "How you doin'?"

Large, blue eyes lifted up. "Ok… I think. It's just going to take longer than a few minutes for me to believe that this isn't a dream."

He chuckled as he pulled off his hat, running a hand through his thinning hair. "You ain't the only one." Seeing her eyes glaze over sent a thrill of fear down his spine. "What? Is the baby ok?"

Her eyes snapped into focus as she laid a hand on her stomach. The baby lurched, sending a fleet of butterflies loose. "We're ok, Bobby." She reached out for his hand, and set it against the small bump.

His eyes filled with tears when he felt the baby move. They sat like that for a minute, until the water in the upstairs shower was turned off. "You gonna tell him, or you want me to?"

Jax released his hand. Her eyes fell down as she swept her fingers over her stomach. "I… I don't know, Bobby. I want to tell him… but…" She shrugged when the words failed to come.

"He deserves to know."

Of course Bobby was right. Dean had every right in the world to know that he was going to be a father. But now? Right after he was mysteriously pulled from the depths of Hell? "He does, you're right. And I'll tell him. Just… in my own time, ok?"

He clenched his jaw, ready to argue with her, but the pleading look she gave stopped him in his tracks. "Just don't wait too long."

"Wait too long for what?" Dean's voice made them both jump.

Jax spun in her seat, moving her shirt so it wasn't showing off her belly. "To call Nicole."

Dean grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Speaking of which, Sam's number's not working. He's not –"

Bobby shook his head. "Oh, he's alive."

"As far as we know."

Dean's eyes fell to his wife. "Good… wait, what do you mean, as far as you know?"

"We haven't talked to him for months."

"You're kidding, you just let him go?"

Bobby chuckled. "Well, he ain't by himself. Besides, he was dead set on it."

"You should have been looking out for him." The remark was meant for Bobby, but Jax felt the sting of Dean's words.

Her voice was tight with emotion. "We tried. These last months haven't been exactly easy, you know. For any of us. We had to bury you."

"Why did you bury me, anyway?"

Bobby tugged the cap on his head. "I wanted you salted and burned, usual drill, but… they wouldn't have it."

Dean shot Jax a wink. "I'm glad they won that one."

"He said you'd need a body when he got you back somehow."

"What do you mean, Bobby?"

Bobby shrugged under the weight of Dean's gaze. "He just took off, wouldn't return our phone calls. We tried to find him, but he didn't want to be found."

"Damn it, Sammy." Dean ran a hand over the back of his neck.

Jax stood, her back stiff from sitting in the chair. "What?"

"Oh, he got me home okay. But whatever he did, it's bad mojo."

She tilted her head in curiosity. "What makes you so sure?"

"You should have seen the grave site. It was like a nuke went off. And then there was this… this force, this presence, I don't know, but it… it blew past me at a fill-up joint. Then there's this." He set the beer on the counter before pulling up the sleeve of his shirt.

A hand-shaped brand stood out on his shoulder.

Bobby stood from the table. Both he and Jax spoke at the same time. "What in the hell?"

"It was like a demon yanked me out. Or rode me out."

Jax's touch was feather soft as she ran her fingertips over the raised, and sensitive skin. "But why?"

"To hold up their end of the bargain."

"You think Sam made a deal."

Dean nodded at Bobby. "It's what I would have done."

 


	2. Lazarus Rising Part 2

Jax jabbed at her cell phone in frustration, Nicole wasn't answering; again. "Damn it!" The urge to throw the phone was so overpowering, she couldn't resist. It bounced off the purple pillow, sliding to a stop on the comforter. She followed suit, collapsing on the end of the bed with a grunt.

She slid a hand under the thin cotton shirt, and was immediately rewarded with a nudge from her unborn child. "I know, baby. I'll tell him, I promise."

* * *

Dean watched as Jax trudged upstairs, and had every intention of following. Bobby's hand on his bicep was the only thing that stopped him.

"What?"

"Give her some time, kid. She's been through a lot."

" _She's_ been through a lot? _I_ died. _I_ went to Hell."

"In case you haven't forgotten, boy, _she_ watched _you_ die. _She_ buried _you_."

Dean ran a hand over his face. "I know, Bobby."

Bobby's hand slid away. "Ok, then. She'll come down when she's ready. What'chu say we find your brother?"

* * *

Dean sat on the edge of the table, much to Bobby's grunt of disapproval.

"Yeah, hi, I have a cell phone account with you guys, and uh, I lost my phone. I was wondering if you could turn the GPS on for me. Yeah. Name's Wedge Antilles. Social is 2474. Thank you."

Standing, he slid the phone into his pocket as he crossed the room to an open laptop.

Bobby watched from behind his desk. "How'd you know he'd use that name?"

"You kiddin' me? What don't I know about that kid?"

He quickly accessed the website for Arc Mobile before picking up one of the many empty liquor bottles. "Hey, Bobby? What's the deal with the liquor store?"

"Like I said. Last few months ain't been all that easy."

"Surprised Jax let you go this long without cleaning up the place."

Bobby swallowed hard, shifting in his seat. "She's had a lot on her plate while you were gone."

The dark bubble of guilt started to expand in Dean's gut. The laptop beeped just when he felt like he was going to explode. "Sam's in Pontiac, Illinois."

Bobby stood behind Dean. "Right near where you were planted."

"Right where I popped up. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?" He stood stiffly, grunting as he moved. Muscles still sore from not being used for four months cried out in protest. "What do ya say, old man? On the road in 20?"

The older hunter reached out to grab Dean, but he wasn't fast enough. Dean pelted up the steps, and down the hall.

* * *

Knuckles rapped softly on the door before it was pushed open. "Jax?"

Dean poked his head in to find his wife lying on her back, a hand resting on her stomach; asleep. A smile overtook his mouth before he could think another thought. He entered the room quietly, lowering to the bed as gently as he could. He always did like to watch her sleep.

The moment the bed shifted, Jax was alert. She jumped, throwing her arms in a wild swing. One connected with Dean's chin, and he fell to the floor; landing on his butt.

He stared up at her in shock, hand pressed against the pained area. "Ow."

"Oh my, God, Dean. I'm sorry. I… I just… you scared me!"

Dean pushed off the floor, and worked his jaw even though it ached. "I didn't mean to."

She ran a hand over her face, and yawned. "Did you find anything on Sam?"

"Yeah. Turns out he's in Pontiac."

"Illinois? That's where we buried you." She suddenly felt self-conscious, as if he could see the shirt clinging to her stomach. She pulled on the sides of her cardigan, wrapping herself in the soft cashmere.

He reached out for her, but she flinched as if he'd stuck her. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I'm just… I guess I'm still having trouble believing that you're here."

"You better believe it, baby." He wiggled his eyebrows as he stepped closer.

Just as his hands reached out for her, Jax stepped back. _Too close. He'll know if he touches you._ "We should, uh… get going, right?"

"I told Bobby 20 minutes."

"I'll start packing."

* * *

Dean leaned against the kitchen counter, nursing a cup of coffee. His eyes followed his wife as she carried her duffel outside. "You sure she's ok?

Bobby grunted as he lifted his attention from his own bag. "Course she is. Why you askin'?"

"She doesn't seem happy to see me."

"Do I look like a therapist, boy?"

"You've been watching over her, right?"

Bobby pinned Dean to the spot with an icy glare. "Course I been watching over her! She's family."

"So tell me what's going on."

He ground his teeth against the words that threatened to jump out of his mouth. "Ain't for me to say."

"Damn it, Bobby."

"You boys gonna join me out there, or what?" Jax had her arms across her stomach as she stood in the doorway.

* * *

Bobby and Dean took the lead down the hallway of the cheap motel while Jax trailed behind. The hair on her arms prickled in a way she didn't like. Her hand itched to feel the weight of her gun. The closer to the room they got, the worse she felt.

Dean knocked on room 207 moments before a pretty brunette pulled the door open. Both men stared at the barely dressed woman.

"So, where is it?"

Dean was the first to answer. "Where's what?"

"The pizza… that takes two guys and a girl to deliver."

Jax peered around Bobby, confusion eating at her. "I think we got the wrong room, guys. Sorry to have bothered you."

Sam stepped into the room, his attention not on the newly arrived guests. "Hey, is –" He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted his dead brother. Confused, he looked at Bobby, and Jax.

Dean risked a step into the room. "Heya, Sammy."

When Dean moved closer, Sam pulled out a knife. "Who are you?!"

Bobby dove between the brothers, holding Sam back as best as he could.

Dean held out his hands. "Like you didn't do this?!"

"Do what?! "

"It's him. It's him. I've been through this already, it's _really_ him."

Sam's wide eyes flick to Jax. Her voice was so soft, he wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. Bobby nodded in agreement, and that's when he felt the fight drain away. "What..."

Dean advanced cautiously, just in case his little brother changed his mind. "I know. I look fantastic, huh?"

Bobby loosened his grip, and watched as Sam pulled Dean into an emotional hug.

When they parted, the young woman that answered the door cleared her throat. "So are you two like... together?"

Sam shook his head. "What? No. No. He's my brother."

"Uh... got it. I... I guess. Look, I should probably go."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Sorry."

"So, call me."

"Yeah. Yeah, sure thing, Kathy."

She looked disappointed. "Kristy."

"Right."

Just as Sam shut the door, Nicole emerged from the bathroom with a tightly wrapped towel around her. Steam from the hot shower quickly filled the small room. She gave Sam a wicked grin, but seeing his serious expression, her smile faltered.

Jax's voice drifted out from behind the tall hunter. "Hi, Nic." She stepped into view, her eyebrow arched, and an angry flash in her eyes.

Nicole swallowed hard when she realized they weren't alone in the room. "Hey. Wh – what are you doin' here?"

"Trying to figure out what it cost."

Dean's voice made her jump. She whirled around, and grasp at the towel as it shifted. Her voice was tight, high, panicked. "What the HELL?!

Sam stepped in front of Nicole. "It's ok."

"H – how can you say it's ok? He… he was dead!"

"And now he's not."

"You're not answering my question, Sammy. What'd it cost you? Was it just your soul, or was it something worse?" His green eyes pinned Nicole to the floor.

"You think I made a deal?"

Jax shrugged her small shoulders. "That's exactly what we think."

His eyes flashed in anger. "Well, I didn't. You of all people should know that."

"Don't lie to me." Dean's voice was sharp, threatening.

"I'm not lying."

Dean pushed away from the wall he had been leaning against. "So what now, I'm off the hook and you're on, is that it? You're some demon's bitch-boy? I didn't want to be saved like this."

"Look, Dean, I wish I had done it, all right? Especially after -" A glare, and a curt shake of Jax's head cut Sam off.

Dean grabbed Sam by the front of his shirt. "There's no other way that this could have gone down. Now tell the truth!"

Sam broke free. "I tried everything. That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate. Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right? You were rotting in Hell for months. For months, and I couldn't stop it. So I'm sorry it wasn't me, all right? Dean, I'm sorry."

Dean, tired, and confused, sighed deeply. "It's okay, Sammy. You don't have to apologize, I believe you."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm gladdened that Sam's soul remains intact, but it does raise a sticky question." Bobby dropped to a chair.

"If he didn't pull me out, then what did?"

 


	3. Lazarus Rising Part 3

Nicole got dressed, and hunkered down in a corner of the room with Jax while the guys chatted over a beer. "Look, J –"

Jax cut a glance at her friend. "Don't."

"I'm sorry."

"You left."

"You agreed!"

"I agreed to you going and keeping an eye on Sammy, not to cut all ties. Have you even gotten _any_ of my texts?"

Nicole's eyes dropped to her small fingers, they were toying with a loose thread on the sleeve of her grey hoodie.

Jax scoffed. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Jax, you don't understand. It's not that I didn't want to call you back, I _couldn't_."

"Why not? What are you guys doing that is so top secret that you can't call your best friend?"

The small blonde bit her bottom lip roughly, and shrugged.

"And who was it that answered the door? She the reason you can't call? Do you think we're going to judge you for your… _taste_?"

"No! No, nothing like that. That… wasn't what it looked like."

"Then tell me, Nic, what the HELL was that?"

Nicole groaned through gritted teeth. "I… I can't tell you."

"Damn it, Nic." She rubbed at her face when her eyes filled with tears.

"Not to change the subject, but have you told Dean?"

The expectant mother stole a glance at her husband. He had just picked up a pink bra, and thrown Sam a cheeky smile. "Not yet. It's not the right time."

"You should tell him."

"You're in no position to tell me what to do."

Nicole held up her hands. "Ok."

"I will. It's just hard to find the right time."

"I really am sorry, Jax."

She met Nicole's gaze, and set her jaw. "Never do that to me again, ok? I needed… need you."

Nicole grabbed her friend's hand, squeezing it firmly. "Never."

* * *

Dean, and Sam approached the girls after Bobby stepped out of the room.

Jax swiped at her face, hoping Dean didn't see her crying. "Where's he off to?"

Sam squeezed Nicole's shoulder as he towered over her. "Calling a psychic friend of his."

"Think they might know how Dean got pulled out?" Jax shook her head when Dean offered her a drink of his beer.

"Hell yeah, it's worth a shot."

As if suddenly remembering something, Jax grabbed at the cord around her neck. "You probably want this back." She removed the amulet Dean had worn ever since Sam gave it to him for Christmas when they were kids.

Dean pulled it over his head, running his fingers over the amulet once it was resting against his chest. "Thanks."

Bobby was pocketing his cell phone when he entered the room. "She said to come on down. She's about four hours down the Interstate. We can make it in two if we hurry."

* * *

"Try and keep up." Bobby gave a wave as he peeled out of the parking lot.

The four remaining hunters stood by the trunk of the Impala. Sam pulled out a set of keys, and tossed them at his brother. "I assume you'll want to drive."

He caught the keys easily. "Oh, I almost forgot! Hey, sweetheart, did you miss me?"

Jax rolled her eyes as she, and Nicole, dropped into the backseat. "She's not going to answer you, Dean."

He shot her a wink in the rear view mirror before he caught sight of something. Giving it, and his brother a dirty look, Dean grunted. "What the hell is that?"

Nicole chuckled before Sam answered. "That's an iPod jack."

"You were supposed to take care of her, not douche her up."

"Dean, I thought it was my car."

Dean sneered as he turned the key. The Impala reacted just as she should, her engine roared to life. A soft rock song flowed from the speakers, causing Dean to roll his eyes before he glared at his brother. "Really?"

Sam shrugged innocently as Dean ripped the iPod out of the jack, and tosses it in the back seat. It landed between Jax, and Nicole with a soft thump on the black leather.

* * *

The sun had just risen when they pulled up in front of a small house.

Bobby knocked on the door. A woman with dark hair opened it, smiling wide when her eyes fell on a certain hunter. "Bobby!" She grabbed him into a hug, lifting him off the ground.

Everyone else shared a disbelieving look.

Bobby tried to hide his smile. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

She stepped back, and looked the Winchester brothers up and down. "So, these the boys?"

He couldn't stop the chuckle when Jax, and Nicole both arched a brow at her boldness. "Sam, Dean, Jax, and Nicole, this is Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state.

Dean nodded in greeting while Sam shuffled his feet awkwardly.

Pamela bit her bottom lip. "Mmm-mmm-mmm. Dean Winchester. Out of the fire, and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."

"If you say so."

She stepped to the side. "Come on in."

Jax was the last to enter the house, and reached out to close the door behind her. Her hand brushed against Pamela's, and watched as the psychic's eyes glazed over for a heartbeat. "Sorry."

Pamela shook her head as her eyes snapped into focus. "How far along are you?"

She forced a chuckle, and looked at the group of hunters that gathered in the next room. "I… I don't know what you mean."

Following Jax's lead, the psychic looked over her shoulder. "Everyone but Dean knows."

Jax ran a hand over her face with a groan. "You can't tell him, please."

Pamela looked hard at Jax. "It's not my place, but –"

"I know, I know."

* * *

Bobby stepped up to Pamela once she and Jax joined the rest of them. "So, you hear anything?"

The psychic shook her head. "Well, I Ouija'd my way through a dozen spirits. No one seems to know who broke your boy out, or why."

"So what's next?"

"A séance, I think. See if we can see who did the deed."

Nicole shuddered involuntarily. "You're not gonna summon the damn thing here."

"No, honey. I just want to get a sneak peek at it. Like a crystal ball without the crystal."

Dean approved of the idea. "I'm game."

* * *

Everyone sat around a small table that had six candles placed in the center, all lit.

"Right. Take each others hands. And I need to touch something our mystery monster touched."

Dean looked around, slightly nervous, then took off his outer shirt, pulling up his left t-shirt sleeve to reveal the brand. Nicole, and Sam hadn't seen the marred skin, so they both stared at it, shocked.

Everyone closed their eyes as Pamela placed her hand on the brand, and began to chant. "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle."

The television in the corner of the room flared to life, static screamed through the speakers.

"I invoke, conjure, and command... Castiel? No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy."

Dean shifted in his seat. "Castiel?"

"Its name. It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back."

The table began to shake.

"I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face."

The static grew louder, and the shaking of the table became more violent. Bobby had to yell in order to be heard. "Maybe we should stop."

Pamela shook her head, determination set in every muscle. "I almost got it. I command you, show me your face! Show me your face now!"

Suddenly the candles flared up several feet in the air and Pamela began to scream. Her eyes flew open, and were filled with a white-hot flame. She collapsed as the rattling, white noise, and flames died out.

Bobby caught her, and lowered her to the floor. "Call 911!"

While Sam scrambled out of his chair, and into the next room to place the call, Nicole ran into the kitchen. She grabbed some towels, and threw them under a stream of water. Jax took off for the bathroom, and quickly located some antiseptic ointment, and gauze.

Dean crouched next to Pamela and Bobby. The psychic opened her eyes, revealing black, empty sockets. Understandably, she choked on a sob. "I can't see! I can't see! Oh, God!"

* * *

Jax's hands were shaking as she sat on the couch. She could still smell the faint aroma of burning flesh, and she had to work at not throwing up all over her lap.

Dean took a healthy pull from the bottle, and dropped down next to her. "You ok?"

She refused the bottle he offered. "Sure… I uh… that was just… I've never seen something like that."

Dean turned in his seat after placing the bottle on the table. He grabbed her hands, essentially forcing her to face him. "This might not be the right time, but… are you _sure_ you're ok? And I don't mean about what just happened with Pamela."

She felt her shirt lift up as she turned, and she had to work hard not to pull it down. "Of course I'm ok, Dean. Why?"

He sighed heavily, his eyes boring into hers. "Stop lying to me, J. I talked to Bobby earlier."

Her heart stuttered before jack-hammering against her chest. "Y – you talked to Bobby."

"I know you're keeping something from me."

She closed her eyes, and pulled her hands from his. Standing with a deep sigh, she began to pace, driving her hands through her hair. She felt the weight of his gaze as she walked, searching for the right words, praying he wouldn't get angry, or walk out.

"Jax… talk to me."

Her eyes were filled with tears when she faced him. "I… I want to."

He was in front of her, hands on her face, and staring down at her in the blink of an eye. "So do it."

Their unborn child bucked against her belly button as if demanding to be felt. Jax took one of his large hands from her face, and pressed it against her stomach. Her voice shook emotionally as she spoke. "I'm pregnant."


	4. Lazarus Rising Part 4

Dean's eyes went wide at the confession. They grew impossibly wider yet when he felt something push against his hand. Dark green eyes flew to where Jax held his hand hostage. They drifted slowly up to hers before darting back down; the baby pushed even harder against his hand.

"Say something, please." She was trying not to cry, and her voice shook with the effort.

"I… I'm gonna be a dad? How?"

Jax arched a brow. "If I have to explain the logistics of it to you –"

He shook his head, thrusting both hands through his hair. "No, I get _how_ it happened, but… I mean… I was in Hell."

"The night before, or any one of the other nights before that." Her hands fell to her swollen stomach where their child continued to kick.

He began to pace, feet falling heavily on the floor as he chewed on the cuticle of his thumb. "I don't believe this."

Jax swiped angrily at the hot tears that streaked down her face. "Well believe it, Dean. Like it or not, you're going to be a father." She pulled the oversized cardigan tightly around her stomach.

"The timing couldn't be worse."

She scoffed. "You think I _planned_ to get pregnant, Dean? You think I wanted to raise a child without its father? Especially in the life we lead?"

Realizing he spoke the words that were supposed to remain silent, Dean stopped pacing, and came to stand in front of his wife. "I'm sorry. I just… this is a lot for me to take in right now."

Her chin quaked as she chewed on her bottom lip. She opened her mouth to say something but the television flickered to life at the same time as the radio, both devices emitting a high-pitched whine.

Jax cringed as she covered her ears while Dean grabbed a sawed-off shotgun lying by the bed. Her eye twitched as the noise grew from a steady whine to an ear-piercing level.

Dean stood in front of her, eyeing the room until he couldn't take it any longer. He covered his ears with shaking hands, one still gripping the shotgun. Looking up, he watched as the mirrored ceiling began to crack. Knowing they wouldn't make it clear of the falling debris in time, Dean grabbed Jax by the waist and wrapped himself around her as they fell to the floor; his arm taking the brunt of the fall instead of her stomach. The pair screamed in pain as blood trickled from their ears and glass exploded from the ceiling.

Bobby burst into the room in time to see the windows blow in. "Dean!" His eyes fell to the pair lying amidst a sea of glass. Blood spilling from various wounds sent the older man's heart into a rhythm he didn't like. "Jax!"

* * *

Jax stretched out in the backseat of Bobby's car while he drove. Her body ached from being thrown on the floor. There wasn't any cramping or bleeding, and the baby was active, so she wasn't too alarmed, but she made a mental note to call her doctor.

Dean was wiping blood from his face when Bobby spoke. "How you doin', kid?"

"Aside from the church bells ringing in my head, peachy." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

Sam answered a moment later. "Hey."

"What are you doing?"

Sam shot Nicole a worried glance. "Couldn't sleep, went to get a burger."

"In my car?"

"Force of habit, sorry. What are you doing?"

"Well, uh, Bobby's back. We're going to grab a beer." Jax opened her mouth to speak but fell silent when Dean held up a finger.

"All right, well, uh, spill some for me, huh?"

"Done. Catch you later."

Bobby scowled at Dean. "Why the hell didn't you tell him?"

"Because he just tried to stop us."

"From what?"

"Summoning this thing."

Jax grunted as she sat up so Dean could see her shocked expression.

"It's time we faced it head-on." He nodded as if that were the end of the conversation.

She shook her head even though it sent a twinge of pain down her neck. "You can't be serious!"

He shot her a playful wink. "As a heart attack. It's high noon, baby."

She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Well, we don't know what it is. It could be a demon, it could be anything."

"That's why we've got to be ready for anything." He pulled out the demon killing blade from inside his jacket. "We've got the big-time magic knife, Bobby's got an arsenal in the trunk."

"This is a bad idea." Bobby gave a shake of his head.

Dean shrugged his shoulder under the weight of Jax's hand. "Yeah, I couldn't agree more, but what other choice do we have?"

Jax swallowed around the lump in her throat. "We could choose life."

"Guys, whatever this is, whatever it wants, it's after me. That much we know, right? I've got no place to hide. I can either get caught with my pants down again, or we can make our stand."

Bobby chewed on the inside of his cheek before he spoke. "Dean, we could use Sam on this."

"Nah, he's better off where he is."

* * *

Nicole shifted uneasily in the front seat as Sam pocketed his cell phone. "Sam, we should really tell them what's going on."

He narrowed his eyes as he continued to spy on the diner. "No."

"Sam –"

"No, Nicole. We talked about this."

" _You_ talked about it. You and that demon!" The word left a bitter taste on the tip of her tongue.

Sam's eyes were on her in a flash. "You didn't disagree."

Nicole swallowed hard at the spark of anger that lit up his eyes. "Just… just think about it, ok?"

He shook his head briskly before turning his attention back to the demon-filled diner. "I'm saving people, Nic, why can't you understand that?"

_But what are you losing in return?_

Yes, Nicole had agreed to working with Ruby in an attempt to rescue Sam's big brother from Hell, but that didn't mean she liked everything that came with it. The person Sam was now was not the man she fell in love with. He was different in so many ways. Some she couldn't deny she liked, but the one thing she didn't have the stomach for was when he-

His deep voice interrupted her thoughts. "It's time, let's go."

The pair snuck into the darkened diner after picking the lock with ease. Spotting the cook face down on the floor, Sam crouched down and turned him over. His eyes had been burned out just like Pamela.

Nicole sucked in a breath through her teeth before being struck down by an unknown force.

Sam stood at the sound only to be tackled from behind. A possessed waitress and the hunter traded blows for a few moments until Sam got the upper hand and shoved her away.

Nicole pushed off the ground and grabbed Sam's arm. "Her eyes, Sam."

The waitress stood as if ready for battle, looking terrified. "I can still smell your soul a mile away."

Sam removed his arm from Nicole's grip. "It was here. You saw it."

The waitress began to sob. "I saw it."

Despite the fact that the woman being possessed had probably been dead from the moment of possession, Nicole found herself feeling bad for the demon. No one should have to go through the hell she witnessed firsthand. "What was it?"

"It's the end. We're dead. We're all dead."

"What did you see?" Naturally, Sam wanted answers.

The waitress squared her shoulders, steeling her resolve. "Go to hell."

Sam sneered. "Funny. I was going to say the same thing to you."

Before Nicole could object, Sam stepped back, planted his feet, and closed his eyes in concentration. He extended his right hand toward the demon. The waitress began to heave before vomiting black smoke into her hand. Seconds later, she collapsed to the floor as the demon was sucked down into Hell.

Nicole ran to her side and checked for a pulse. Looking up at Sam, she shook her head, sighing in disappointment.

"Damn it." His voice was thick with frustration.

Nicole rose from the floor as the kitchen door opened, granting access to the woman that was in their room earlier.

"Getting pretty slick there, Sam. Better all the time." She sounded so proud.

Nicole took an angry step toward her. "What the hell is going on around here, Ruby?"

"I wish I knew, short stuff."

Sam placed a large hand on Nicole's shoulder to keep her from lunging at the demon. "We were thinking some high level demon pulled Dean out."

"No way. Sam, human souls don't just walk out of Hell and back into their bodies easy. The sky bleeds, the ground quakes. It's cosmic. No demon can swing that. Not Lilith, not anybody."

Confusion began to eat at his stomach, twisting it uncomfortably. "Then what can?"

"Nothing I've ever seen before."

The trio moved to a booth away from the bodies.

Ruby let her eyes drag appreciatively over Sam, making sure Nicole saw. "So, million dollar question, are you going to tell Dean about what we're doing?"

"Yeah, I just gotta figure out the right way to say it." Ruby scowled at the hunter. "Look, I just need time, okay? That's all."

Nicole rest her hand on Sam's forearm. "Sam, he's going to find out, and if it's not from you he's going to be pissed."

"He's going to be pissed anyway. I mean, he's so hardheaded about this psychic stuff he'll just try and stop me."

The demon held her hands up. "Look. Maybe I'll just take a step back for a while."

"Now that sounds like a great idea." For the first time ever, Nicole gave Ruby a warm smile.

Sam shook his head. "Ruby, you-"

"I mean, I'm not exactly in your brother's fan club, but he is your brother, and I'm not going to come between you."

"I don't know if what I'm doing is right. Hell, I don't even know if I trust you."

Nicole scoffed. "I don't trust you."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

Sam cut a glance at Nicole from the corner of his eye. "But what I _do_ know is that I'm saving people. And stopping demons. And that feels good. I want to keep going."

* * *

While Bobby drew a symbol with white spray paint on the cement floor, Jax and Dean worked at setting up equipment on a rickety table.

Bobby stood stiffly, it was the last symbol that needed to be painted. All the walls and every inch of the floor and ceiling had every sigil he could think of painted on the surface.

Dean nodded in appreciation. "That's a hell of an art project you've got going there."

The older man threw the rattle can into his duffel. "Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe. How you two doin?"

Jax blew out a breath, running a slightly shaky hand through her hair. "Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife. We're pretty much set to catch and kill anything we've ever heard of."

Bobby stood on the other side of the table. "This is still a bad idea."

"Yeah, Bobby, I heard you the first ten times. What do you say we ring the dinner bell?"

After staring at Dean, the older hunter nodded reluctantly. Grabbing a pinch of powder from a bowl, he sprinkled it into a larger one. Smoke began to drift over the edges as he started to chant in Latin.

* * *

The trio sat on the tables, swinging their legs and looking bored.

Dean shot Bobby a glance over his shoulder. "You sure you did the ritual right?"

Bobby scowled at him, scoffing under his breath.

"Sorry. Touchy, touchy, huh?"

Jax grunted softly, her hand coming to a stop below her belly button just as the roof above them began to rattle. The men armed themselves with shotguns as they took a protective stance around the mother to be. They had tried to get her to stay out of it, they didn't know what was going to answer their call, but she wouldn't hear it. She wanted to be there for everything.

A nervous lump formed in Dean's throat. "Wishful thinking, but maybe it's just the wind."

The door at the other end burst open and in stalked a man wearing a business suit and trench coat. The light bulbs above his head shattered in a shower of sparks as he passed them. As he walked closer, Dean and Bobby both opened fire, but the shots did nothing to slow down the new arrival

Dean unsheathed the demon blade as the stranger grew close. "Who are you?"

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition." His voice was gravelly, even more than Dean's.

"Yeah. Thanks for that." Dean reared back and plunged the blade into the man's chest.

He glanced down, looking very unconcerned about the blade sticking out of his chest, and pulled it out, dropping it to the floor.

Behind him, Bobby attacked. Without looking, he grabbed Bobby's weapon and used it to swing the hunter around. He touched Bobby on the forehead with his fingertips, sending the older man to the ground.

"We need to talk, Dean."

Jax trembled like a leaf on a windy day as she watched the entire scene unfold before her. She had seen plenty of crazy things in her lifetime, but never something like this. She rushed over to Bobby, pressing her fingers against the pulse point in his neck.

The man looked down at her with piercing blue eyes. "Your friend's alive."

When he reached for Jax, Dean threw himself between them. "No way, you don't touch her, pal."

"It is better if we talk in private." His arm remained extended, hand poised, ready for contact with the human.

With the help of Dean, Jax stood. He pulled her against his back, an arm wrapped around her waist, hand splayed over her lower back. "Not happening. Who are you?"

Seeing the determination in Dean's eyes, he dropped his arm. "Castiel."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I figured that much, I mean _what_ are you?"

"I'm an Angel of the Lord."

"Get the hell out of here. There's no such thing."

"This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith." Lightning flashed, and on the wall behind the self-proclaimed angel, great shadowy wings appeared, stretching off into the distance. The light flickered out and the image disappeared.

The duo stared in disbelief at the sight before them. Jax was the first to speak, taking a step out from behind Dean. "Some angel you are. You burned out that poor woman's eyes."

"I warned her not to spy on my true form. It can be... overwhelming to humans, and so can my real voice. But you already knew that."

Dean chuckled ruefully. "You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking? Buddy, next time, lower the volume."

"That was my mistake. Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong."

"And what visage are you in now, huh? What, holy tax accountant?"

The Angel looks down upon himself. "This? This is... a vessel."

"You're possessing some poor bastard? Why am I not surprised?"

"He's a devout man, he actually prayed for this."

"Well, I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really?"

Castiel frowned in confusion. "I told you."

"Right. And why would an angel rescue me from Hell?"

He flicked those wide, all-knowing eyes to Jax. "Does he not know?"

Wrapping her hand in Dean's, Jax stepped completely out of Dean's shadow. "He does."

"Wait, _you_ knew?"

"All of Heaven knew. It had been prophesized. Good things do happen, Dean."

"Not in my experience."

"What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved?" Castiel inclined his head, drawing his brows together in confusion.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Because God commanded it. Because of the life that you created. Because we have work for you."

* * *

In a different motel, in a different town, Jax fell onto the bed, completely exhausted and sore from the tumble to the floor earlier that night. Her eyes fell closed when her child started to somersault. "Calm down, little one."

Dean watched from the other end of the room as Jax slid her shirt up, revealing a much more noticeable mound of hard flesh and pressed her hands against it firmly. His heart skipped a beat. He was going to be a father.

Jax turned her head and watched Dean as he stared at her stomach. She gave the bed a pat. "Come here."

He jumped as if startled. Wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on his thighs, he made his way over to the bed. Lowering himself down slowly, he tried to keep from jostling her as much as possible.

Jax chuckled low in her throat and reached for his hand. "You're not going to hurt us, Dean."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that."

With a roll of her eyes, she gave her best retort. "Shut up." She placed his hand where hers had just been, pushing his fingertips into her belly.

He hissed and tried to pull his hand away. "Doesn't that hurt… it?"

"No."

Nothing happened and Dean swallowed the lump in his throat. "I… is it-"

She pushed his fingers against her one more time. "Shhhhh, just wait."

They didn't have to wait very long. The baby shoved hard against his fingers, fluttering beneath them like a butterfly.

Dean's eyes grew wide. "Whoa!"

Jax laughed like she hadn't been able to since before Dean died. "It's cool, right?"

"Hell, yeah, it is."

They sat like that for a while, Dean feeling his unborn child moving beneath his touch, answering every poke and prod with its own kick and spin.

Jax watched as happiness and joy began to give way to worry, making those lines appear around Dean's eyes. She reached up and ran a hand through his hair, scratching through the short strands on the back of his neck. "Hey, it'll be ok."

He dropped carefully to his elbow, sweeping his thumb around her belly button. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I have faith in you, Dean. You'll do whatever needs to be done to protect me, to protect us. You are a good person –"

His eyes fell closed. "Don't."

She pushed up, using his shoulder for support. "I mean it, Dean. You are a good man, you'll be an even better father, and we are lucky to have you."

Knowing he would argue with her about it until they were both blue in the face, Jax tipped her head and pressed her lips against his, silencing the argument before it could begin. His hand tightened on her stomach while the other came up to tangle in the hair at the back of her neck. His lips moved against hers harder, swallowing her moans.

When they parted, it was only because they couldn't breathe properly. She ran her thumb over his kiss swollen bottom lip and felt herself fall into his eyes, pupils blown wide leaving the smallest strip of emerald green.

"I missed you."

"Not as much as I missed you."

He wiggled his eyebrows. "Wanna bet?"

Using the foot planted at the edge of the bed, she pushed her body against his, grinding their hips together. "Prove it."

A growl bubbled in his throat at the friction she was creating. "Is… is it safe?"

"It's encouraged."

That was all he needed to hear.


	5. Hey Jude

A shout tugged at Jax, pulling her from an unsettling, reoccurring dream. The man next to her twitched. His arm, clasped tightly around her waist, flexed, fingers dug almost painfully into her lower back. Another deep-throated shout and her eyes shot open.

The room was almost dark save for the full moon that crept through the venetian blinds of the cheap motel room. Dark blonde eyelashes that fell against freckle-splashed cheeks fluttered as eyes swept rapidly beneath closed lids. His brow was knitted together as he ground his teeth.

Jax ran a hand down Dean's tight bicep, squeezing his elbow gently. "Dean, wake up."

He twitched again, more violently than the last time. His legs swept back and forth between the sheets as he pushed his head into his pillow, groaning as his back arched.

Ever since Castiel saved Dean from Hell, he had been plagued by nightmares. He screamed in pain, cried out for help, and twitched so hard he fell out of bed. Three weeks had passed and he wasn't talking about it to anyone. Not the man they looked up to like a father, not his brother, and certainly not his wife.

Then, to add fuel to the fire, Dean got yanked to the past, met his grandparents and watched his mother make a deal with good ol' Yellow Eyes. Cas told Dean he had to stop the deal, giving the hunter false hope that he could actually save his family.

_"Destiny can't be changed, Dean. All roads lead to the same destination."_

Jax almost broke her hand when she punched the angel in the jaw.

Since then, Dean's nightmares had increased, if that were possible. He shouted again, one long, wordless cry echoed in the small room.

Jax pushed up to her elbow, using all her might, struggling against the strong arm that forced her against the bed. "Dean. Baby, you gotta wake up." She ran her fingertips along the side of his face and jaw. His whole face flinched as if he had been struck or was waiting for some unseen blow. He was pulling air in through his nose in short, quick bursts, almost hyperventilating.

She pressed a kiss against his temple and drug her fingers through his hair, her nails biting into the soft skin at the base of his skull. Something from his trip to the past came to mind, something he had said about his mom. She used to sing to him when he was sick. Jax cleared her throat free of the sleep that would coat her words. It didn't need to be perfect, but she didn't want to sound like a frog, either.

_Hey Jude, don't make it bad.  
_ _Take a sad song and make it better.  
_ _Remember to let her into your heart.  
_ _Then you can start to make it better._

The iron grip on her back loosened as his legs stopped kicking.

_Hey Jude, don't be afraid.  
_ _You were made to go out and get her.  
_ _The minute you let her under your skin.  
_ _Then you begin to make it better._

The worry and pain in his face washed away.

_And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain.  
_ _Don't carry the world upon your shoulders.  
_ _For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool.  
_ _By making his world a little colder._

Rigid muscles stopped shaking, relaxing under Jax's massaging touch as it trailed between his shoulder blades.

_Hey Jude, don't let me down.  
_ _You have found her, now go and get her.  
_ _Remember to let her into your heart.  
_ _Then you can start to make it better._

His breathing slowed drastically. Hot breath fanned against Jax's neck as he snuggled into her. Securing his arms behind her back, tangling their legs together, he sighed roughly. Jax kissed his forehead gently.

_So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin.  
_ _You're waiting for someone to perform with.  
_ _And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do.  
_ _The movement you need is on your shoulder._

He hummed along as he pulled in a breath, lips vibrating against the column of Jax's neck. She felt his eyelashes flutter against the sensitive skin.

_Hey Jude, don't make it bad.  
_ _Take a sad song and make it better.  
_ _Remember to let her under your skin.  
_ _Then you'll begin to make it better._

He nestled further into her neck and she could tell instantly that he wasn't completely asleep.

"Were you singing?" Even though he was whispering, his chest rumbled against hers.

She ran her fingers through his hair, humming a response against his ear.

"It was nice."

Another humming response as her eyes fluttered closed. Exhaustion began to eat away at her.

"I like it when you sing."

_Hey Jude, don't be afraid._

His voice was thick, coated in sleep as he sang the next line.

_You were made to go and get her._

Jax smiled, pressing her face into his neck.

_The minute you let her under your skin._

Before they gave in to the sleep they desperately needed, they felt their unborn child somersault, pushing hard against Jax's stomach. She heard Dean sigh happily as his body relaxed, the last of his nightmare bled away, leaving him content.

_Then you begin to make it better._


	6. Metamorphosis Part 1

Dean's leg was bouncing, the keys to Baby and multiple coins in his pocket _cling clanged_ with each push from his foot. He was hunched over, elbows resting on his thighs, and worry wearing at his brow. One thumb ran along the other, fingers clasped tightly together as his eyes lost all focus.

Jax cleared her throat as she crossed her ankles. "Dean."

His leg stopped bouncing as green eyes snapped into focus, flying up to hers. "Yeah."

She smiled gently from across the room. "Everything is fine."

He nodded on instinct as he looked around the small doctor's office. "So everyone keeps telling me."

A soft sigh pushed between her lips before they pressed into a thin line. "You're such a pessimist. I'm fine and the baby's fine."

A knock prevented him from continuing the conversation. "Good morning," she held out a small hand to Dean, "I'm Dr. Sanders, I don't believe we've had the pleasure."

He shook her hand in return, nodding curtly, "Dean."

"Nice to finally put a face to a name." She quickly fired up the computer and opened Jax's file. Brown eyes darted over the newly added information, weight and blood pressure, but it was the reason for the visit that made her click her tongue against her teeth as she spun to face the mother to be. "When was it you said you fell?"

Jax wrung her fingers in her lap. "About 3 weeks ago."

With an arched brow, Dr. Sanders stood, moving to the sink to wash her hands. "Why didn't you come in sooner?"

"We were traveling."

Sanders looked over her shoulder at Dean. "There are plenty of other clinics and doctors. I'm sure you passed right by them."

"We did, but I felt… feel fine."

The doctor turned her attention to Jax as she dried off her hands. "Falling while pregnant isn't something you just blow off, Jax."

At the direction of her doctor, Jax leaned back against the pillow and pulled up her shirt while Sanders tugged on the top of the black leggings, revealing her ever growing belly. She rubbed her hands together before beginning the exam.

"Any cramping or bleeding?"

Jax shook her head and tucked an arm behind her head.

"Tightening in your stomach? Tenderness?"

Another shake of her head.

"Baby active?"

Jax and Dean shared a look and a chuckle. "Most definitely."

"Good, good. Everything feels great, you're measuring right on track, and from what I'm hearing and feeling the fall didn't do anything more than scare you."

A flash of the fall bursts through Jax's mind as she nods. The burst of static from the radio and television and the explosion of glass scared her almost more than the fall.

"So I see we have an ultrasound planned today? Are we excited?"

Dean jerked himself up off the chair and started pacing along the back corner of the room. Dr. Sanders watched him for a second before turning to look at Jax with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm excited, him...well..."

The doctor nodded knowingly and pulled over the cart with the large machine. She pulled Jax's shirt back up and informed her about the temperature of the gel and what they would be doing. Dean's stride lengthened, making it across the room in three strides each time, his hands about to push through the bottom of his jacket pockets.

Dr. Sander's pressed a button and the machine whirred to life. She held the stick against Jax's stomach and began gliding it around.

"Dean," Jax finally hissed at the hunter now standing in the corner, one hand stuck in his hair and his back to both of them. "Please, calm down and come over here. You're making ME nervous."

"I think...ah yes, here it is!" Dr. Sanders smiled broadly and turned the monitor to the mother-to-be.

"Oh..." Jax whispered, feeling her heart swell as she looked at the little bundle growing inside of her. She heard the loud clunk of boots and then Dean practically collapsed on her in his eagerness to peer at the screen.

"That's...our baby?"

Jax grasped his hand tightly in his in answer, and he pulled it up to his lips to gently kiss them.

Sanders continued to push the wand against Jax's stomach, firmer in some spots, softer in others, getting all the necessary pictures and measurements needed.

"Now, the big question. Do you want to know what you're having?"

Mother and father to be spoke at the same time, "yes."

* * *

Jax buckled her seat belt just as the phone tucked inside her leather jacket buzzed. She swiped her thumb across the screen and didn't even get to answer before Nicole's emotional voice burst through the speaker.

"J… I… I'm really sorry."

She swallowed hard enough that it hurt, but not as bad as the panic that exploded in her chest. "Talk to me."

"I… _we_ need your help."

Dean, having heard the word help, threw the car into drive.

"We're on our way. Where are you?"

* * *

Nicole was waiting for them outside a warehouse, arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and she was shivering. She looked up at Jax, her eyes raw and red from crying. "I'm sorry."

"Just tell me what happened." She rest a hand on Nicole's shoulder, squeezing gently even though she wanted to shake her friend by the shoulders and demand to know exactly what had been going on the last few months.

Dean towered over the girls, wide eyes scanning the parking lot, hyper aware of everything that moved, about anything and everything that could happen. "Where's Sam?"

The shorter hunter's chin quaked and when she spoke, her voice was tight, strained, "that's why I'm sorry."

Green eyes sliced through Nicole, "where's Sam?" His hand itched in a way only the weight of his gun would cure.

Neither of them were ready for the next three words.

"He's with Ruby."

* * *

Sam towered over a possessed man he had tied to a chair and set inside a Devil's Trap. "Where's Lilith?"

The demon sneered before answering, "Kiss my ass." With an incline of his head, his eyes flicked black.

Sam smiled at that comment. "I'd watch myself if I were you."

"Why? Huh? Because you're Sam Winchester, Mr. Big Hero? And yet here you are, slutting around with some demon. Real hero."

"Shut your mouth."

"Tell me about those months without your brother. About all the things you and this demon bitch do in the dark."

Ruby, from her hiding spot in the corner, stared hard at the demon possessed man.

"Huh? Tell me, hero."

Sam, unable to control his anger, pushed a hand through the air and began to force the demon out of the man. The demon smoke burned through the floor and Sam breathed hard as he tried to get himself under control.

Ruby pushed away from the wall, looking down where the demon burned through the floor. A small smile played on her lips as her dark eyes rose to the hunter. They exchanged a look as he smiled in response, pride filling him until he felt as if he would burst. He had done it again, exorcised a demon without killing, and it felt good!

* * *

Dean pushed away from the building with a huff and stormed back to the girls. He ground his teeth as he stared at Nicole.

Jax, seeing the anger blazing in Dean's eyes, stepped between them. "What? Dean, what's going on?"

His nostrils flared as he breathed heavily. "He's not just in there with Ruby, he's in there _working_ with Ruby."

"No, that… that can't be right. Nicole?" She turned to face her friend, but Nicole wouldn't meet her gaze. Jax scraped a hand over her face. Disappointment was thick on her tongue, "ahhh, Nic. That's what's been going on with you guys."

Dean growled angrily as he turned away. He wanted to hit someone, scream at someone, or maybe even kill someone he was that angry. He spied a door around the corner and without waiting for Jax or an explanation from Nicole, he strutted over and kicked it in.

* * *

Sam found a pulse. It was weak, but it was there and that was all that mattered. He found himself smiling up at Ruby.

"How'd it feel?"

"Good. No more headaches."

"None? That's good."

As Sam worked at untying the man, he began to stir. "Hey, hey. I got you. It's all right."

They were on the way out of the building when the door was kicked in.

"So... anything you wanna tell me, Sam? _"_


	7. Metamorphosis Part 2

"So... anything you wanna tell me, Sam?" Fury rolled off the newly arrived hunter, filling the room with thick tension.

Sam tried to look innocent, but he knew how it looked with Ruby standing behind him. "Dean, hold on, okay? Just let me-"

He pointed a finger at his brother. "You gonna say, 'let me explain'? You're gonna explain this? How about this? Why don't you start with what the hell she's doing here?"

Sam didn't respond as his brother glared at Ruby. The smile she was wearing began to fade the moment his fiery eyes met hers. After a moment, Dean grabbed her by the front of her jacket and shoved her against the wall. With a growl he pulled out the demon blade and just as he was about to plunge it into her chest, Sam grabbed his wrist.

"Don't!"

They struggled for the knife momentarily until Sam wrenched it from his brother's hand. Just as Sam gripped the handle, Dean threw him up against the wall. Ruby pushed away from the wall, grabbed Dean and pinned him to the spot he had her moments ago.

"Ruby! Stop it!"

She just stared into Dean's eyes while singlehandedly maintaining a choke hold. With a huff she removed her hand.

After rising up to his full height, Dean glared over the top of her head at Sam before resuming his stare down with her. "Well, aren't you an obedient little bitch?"

Ruby bristled visibly, hands balling into fists as she fought the urge to go on the attack.

Sam's tight voice drove a knife through the tension, "Ruby."

She stared at Dean for a moment before meeting Sam's sharp eyes. "Ruby, he's hurt. Go."

Another glare is thrown at Dean before she walked over to the man and pulled him off the ground.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"The ER... unless you want to go another round first."

Dean didn't say anything as she walked out of the warehouse, but once she was gone, he glared at his brother.

"Dean."

With a shake of his head Dean walked out the way he came in.

* * *

Jax paced alongside Baby, running her hands over her belly as her child somersaulted and flipped in time with her racing heart.

Nicole leaned against the rear panel, careful not to scratch the paint, and watched her friend. Jax hadn't said a word since everything had been laid out.

"Say something." Nicole tried to keep her voice emotion free, but it was no use.

She didn't stop pacing or looking at the ground or rubbing her belly, she just shook her head. "Three months, Nic. You were gone for three months."

"I know."

"And not just finding a way to get Dean out of Hell, but working with a demon."

"I know." She ran a hand over her face, groaning into the palm.

"And not just any demon. You're working with Ruby."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time. I thought I could keep an eye on them… on her."

Jax stopped pacing then. "He's drinking her blood, Nicole. Sam Winchester, the man that was poisoned by Azazel in preparation to lead a demon army in the apocalypse, is drinking demon blood."

"He's helping people, he's saving them. Isn't that the family motto?"

Jax scoffed and drove a hand through her hair. "Then why did you call us? If he's doing this for the greater good, why call us and ask for help?"

Nicole chewed on her the inside of her cheek as fresh tears formed and fell. She didn't bother wiping them away this time, there was no point, there would just be more. "Because I'm scared, Jackie. I'm scared that I'm losing him to… to her and… he's not the same. He's not the Sam I fell in love with."

"Of course he's not the same. He's drinking demon blood on a daily basis and exorcising demons with his mind."

"Damn it, Jax, could you just stop for one minute. I get it, you're pissed, but please… could you just-"

"What have we got here?" Ruby's voice wrapped around the hunters in a way that drove a chill down their spines.

Jax spun on her heel and had a blade in her hand before anyone could blink. "What do you want, bitch?"

The man being held up by the demon groaned in pain as blood spilled from his mouth. "Just cleaning up after Sammy, he's getting better every day." Ruby dragged her eyes over Jax, stopping once they reached her swollen stomach. "Well, well, well, if this isn't an interesting turn of events."

"That's not your concern." Jax placed her free hand on her stomach protectively.

"We'll see about that. Night ladies." She, and the man, disappeared in the blink of an eye.

With the knife placed back in its sheath, Jax turned back to her friend and pressed her lips together. While she was still hurt by the lies, the only thing that mattered was right here and right now. Everything else was water under the bridge. "What do you want do?"

"Honestly? I want to kill the bitch. Something else is going on. Something… bigger than just her helping Sam with his powers."

"It's not going to be easy."

Nicole laughed softly. "When is it ever?"

* * *

Ruby knocked on the door twice before entering. The room was lit by a couple dozen candles and occupied by only one other demon.

She scribbled furiously on some parchment as Ruby sat down. A bob of her head was the only acknowledgement given to the new arrival.

Ruby waited patiently, shifting in the chair to cross and uncross her legs until the pen was released from an iron grip. She was met with a fierce gaze that had sent terror through many demons before her. But not her, not tonight.

"Well? What news do you bring me today?" She leaned back in her leather chair and folded her hands over her flat stomach.

"I have more than news, Lilith. I have something that I believe will change the future for us… for you."

A perfectly tweezed eyebrow arched high on Lilith's forehead. "Go on."

"Dean Winchester –"

The demon in charge of Hell rolled her eyes and gave a wave of her hand. "Always the Winchesters."

"Is going to be a father." A sick smile played with her lips as she watched Lilith absorb the news.

"That is most excellent news. And you witnessed this?"

"Jax Donovan is most definitely pregnant. I could hear the heartbeat."

Long, manicured nails drummed over the parchment. "I think you might be due for a promotion."

* * *

Sam sat at the table while Nicole paced along the back wall. "I can't believe you called them."

"I couldn't just sit back and watch what she was doing to you. Not anymore."

He ran a hand over his face and up into his hair. "Dammit, Nic! We are helping people."

She shook her head at him. "Don't you 'damn it' me, Sam! She's not helping you –"

"Have you not seen all the people we've saved?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but the roar of a familiar engine was outside the motel door moments before it flew open.

Dean stormed in, followed closely by Jax. She gave Nicole a soft smile as Dean grabbed his bag and started packing his clothes.

Sam stood tall behind his brother. "What are you doing?"

Dean ignored the question as he continued to pack.

Sam shot Jax a glance. "What, are you… are you guys leaving?"

"You don't need us. You and Nicole and Ruby go fight demons." He grabbed his packed bag and started for the door. When Sam stood in his way, he stormed around him.

"Hold on. Dean, come on, man."

Dean turned and punched his brother in the face. Both women gasped as Sam spun around from the force. With a nod of his head he turned back to face Dean. "You satisfied?"

Dean struck him again before throwing his bag on the floor.

Sam touched the gash in his lip. "I guess not."

"Do you even know how far off the reservation you've gone? How far from normal? From human?" Anger that bordered on hate and disgust coated every word.

"I'm just exorcising demons."

Unable to contain the anger that boiled his blood, Dean yelled at the top of his lungs, "with your mind! What else can you do?"

"I can send them back to hell. It only works with demons, and that's it."

Dean grabbed hold of Sam and pushed him hard. "What else can you do?!"

Nicole chimed in, "he told you already!"

"And I have every reason in the world to believe that." With a heavy sigh he turned away, groaning as he drug a hand over his face.

Sam shook his head. "Look, I should have said something. I'm sorry, Dean. I am. But try to see the other side here."

Wearing an anguished expression, he turned around. "The other side?"

"I'm pulling demons out of innocent people."

"Use the knife!"

Jax risked a step toward the brothers. "Dean."

It was as if she wasn't in the room. "The knife kills the victim! What I do, most of them survive! Look, I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year."

"That what Ruby want you to think? Huh? Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers?" He shook his head slowly. "Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it's gonna get darker and darker, and God knows where it ends."

"I'm not gonna let it go too far."

Dean smiled incredulously before crossing the room and hitting a lamp, sending it flying through the air where it crashed into the wall. "It's already gone too far, Sam. If I didn't know you... I would wanna hunt you."

Jax shook her head. "He's your brother, you don't mean that."

Sam's eyes flooded with tears as he looked down to the tacky shag carpeting.

"Yeah, I do, and so would other hunters."

Sam looked hard at his brother. "You were gone. We were here… I was here. I had to keep on fighting without you. And what I'm doing... It works."

"Well, tell me. If it's so terrific... then why'd you lie about it to me? Why did an angel tell me to stop you?"

Sam and Nicole answer in unison, "what?"

"Cas said that if I don't stop you, he will. See what that means, Sam? That means that God doesn't want you doing this."

Sam, looking hurt, pinched the bridge of his nose. "When did you guys have this conversation?"

Jax, seeing the situation was somewhat diffused, stepped next to Dean. "You have to tell him."

"Tell me what?"

"Cas zapped me to the past. I saw Mom and Dad… ."


	8. Metamorphosis Part 3

Dean watched as Sam paced, absorbing everything he said about his impromptu trip to the past, about their mom being a hunter.

Sam blew out a shaky breath, a hand on the back of his neck. "I can't believe it. Mom, a hunter?"

"I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it myself. That woman could kick some ass. I mean, she almost took me down."

Something flickered in Sam's eyes. "How'd she look? I mean... was she happy?"

Dean chuckled, smirking ever so slightly. "Yeah, she was awesome. Funny and smart. So hopeful." The brothers shared a look, "dad, too. Until of course..."

A sigh from the younger Winchester cut off Dean's next words.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Nicole, having stood in the back of the room with Jax, took a step closer and cleared her throat. "Talk to us, Sam."

Everyone could see that Sam's mind was racing. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to phrase it. When he seemed to figure it out, he faced Dean. "It's just, our parents. And now we find out our grandparents, too? Our whole family, murdered, and for what? So Yellow Eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?"

Dean's left shoulder twitched as his eyes found Jax's. She shook her head. As did Nicole when leveled with the angry gaze. "Sam, I never said anything about demon blood." There was no hiding the look of guilt in Sam's eyes. "Wait a minute, you knew about that?"

Sam didn't look at his brother. "Yeah, for about a year."

Dean scraped a shaking hand over his face before turning to look out the small window behind Jax. "A whole year?"

"I should have told you. I'm sorry."

"You've been saying that a lot lately, Sam. But whatever. You don't want to tell me, you don't have to. It's fine."

"Dean." The way Sam said his brother's name was heartbreaking. As if he was pleading to be heard, understood.

Jax side-stepped, coming into Dean's line of sight, trying to pull him out of his anger just by being seen. It must not have worked because his eyes fell away as soon as they focused on her.

"Whatever."

Dean's flat, yet pissed off tone was the final straw for Sam. "You want to know why I've been lying to you, Dean? Because of crap like this."

He whirled to face his brother. "Like what?"

"The way you talk to me, the way you look at me like I'm a freak!"

"I do not."

"You know, or even worse, like I'm an idiot!" Sam stormed over to Dean, getting right in his face, "like I don't know the difference between right and wrong!"

Nicole put a hand on Sam's chest. That single act was enough for Sam to step back. He noticed a shift in his brother's demeanor. "What?"

"Do you know the difference, Sam? I mean, you've been kind of strolling a dark road lately."

"You have no idea what I'm going through. None."

"Then enlighten me!"

"I've got demon blood in me, Dean! This disease, pumping through my veins, and I can't ever rip it out or scrub it clean! I'm a whole new level of freak! And I'm just trying to take this - this curse... and make something good out of it. Because I have to." By the time he was done, Sam's eyes were swimming with unshed tears.

Nicole tangled her fingers with Sam's, and rest her forehead against his arm, whispering words that only she could hear.

Jax had come up beside Dean while Sam yelled, and grabbed his hand. "Time out, guys, before either one of you says or does something that you'll really regret. Come on." She tugged him outside into the cool evening air.

He was breathing heavy. The adrenaline from the argument pumped his blood faster and harder. He started pacing, hands drove through his hair, squeezed the back of his neck, balled into fists… everything to keep from punching the wall or worse yet, his brother, again.

"Dean."

"I can't believe he knew this whole time. I tried… I tried to protect him, and he _knew_?"

"Dean!"

"And now he's working with Ruby! That black-eyed bitch. I'm gonna slit her throat the next time I see her."

She stood in front of him, cutting him off mid-stride. "Dean! Stop!"

His eyes blazed and his hands continued to clench and un-clench.

"I know you're angry," he opened his mouth to say something about how she doesn't know, but she held a hand up, "but that's your brother in there, and he's confused and angry and hurt. Did he mess up? Sure. Did he go to the wrong person for help? Of course he did. But Dean, you gotta understand. You were _gone_ , and suddenly, things were different. You were no longer around to take the lead, and Bobby… well, he mourned harder than all of us combined, I think. So we tried to lead a normal life, and then we found out I was pregnant, and Sam… he vowed to do whatever it took to get you back because he knew what it was like to grow up without a parent, and he didn't want that for our… your baby. Dean… I know the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, but your brother has nothing but the best intentions in mind."

Somewhere in there, Dean's hands fell loose and came to rest on Jax's belly. Their son pushed hard against his father's palms. With every ounce of anger drained away, he stared at his wife, and shrugged half-heartedly. "What do I do?"

She cupped his face in her hands. His stubble bit into the much softer skin as he leaned into her touch. "We help him. I think he knows that the way he went about things wasn't the best way and he feels bad about that."

"I just don't want him to get hurt."

"Oh, honey, I know you don't, but I also think we're past that point, don't you?"

He bent down and kissed her firmly, sweeping his fingers over the surface of her belly.

* * *

"I've got demon blood in me, Dean! This disease, pumping through my veins, and I can't ever rip it out or scrub it clean! I'm a whole new level of freak! And I'm just trying to take this - this curse... and make something good out of it. Because I have to." By the time he was done, Sam's couldn't see through the tears.

Nicole's small hand wrapped around his and the weight of her head felt so heavy on his arm. He couldn't hear everything she was whispering, but he was pretty sure she was praying.

Jax stood next to Dean. "Time out, guys, before either one of you says or does something that you'll really regret. Come on."

Only when the motel door closed, did Sam blink. The previously unshed tears pushed over his eyelashes, spilling onto his shirt. He gave Nicole's hand a squeeze and she looked up, her jade green eyes glistening and her nose pink from crying.

"I'm sorry, Sam."

He didn't understand. "For what?"

"I… I called them. Said you needed help. I just… I felt like I was losing you." Her shoulders shook as she cried.

He pulled her into his arms, swaying side to side as he held her, and brushing through her hair with his fingers. "You didn't do anything wrong, ok? I know I was angry before, but… I didn't want to admit that I needed help. I thought I was doing the right thing. I really did. But I'm done. I'll get clean. No more demon blood."

She looked up with red-rimmed eyes. "You mean it?"

He held her face in his hands and swept through her tears with his thumbs. "I promise." Sam bent over and kissed Nicole.

Dean cleared his throat, waiting for his brother to turn around before he spoke. "Sam, I wanna tell you I'm sorry. I've been kind of hard on you lately."

"Don't worry about it, Dean."

"It's just that your, uh, your psychic thing, it scares the crap out of me."

"Look, if it's all the same... I'd really rather not talk about it."

Dean tried really hard not to smile, but failed. "Wait a minute. What? You don't want to talk? You?"

Sam didn't seem to appreciate the attempt at lightening the mood. "There's nothing more to say. I can't keep explaining myself to you. I can't make you understand."

"Why don't you try?"

"I can't. Because this thing, this blood, it's not in you the way it's in me. It's just something I got to deal with."

"Not alone. You've got Nicole. You've got me and Jax."

"It doesn't matter. These powers... you're right, it's playing with fire. I'm done with them. I'm done with everything."

"Really?"

"Well, that's a relief. Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'm not doing it for you. Or for the angels or for anybody. This is my choice."

* * *

Multiple scrolls of parchment and other various pieces of paper were scattered on the demon's desk. Lilith tapped a freshly painted nail against one particular bit of information. Chewing on the end of a pen, she read, and re-read the words many times, making sure she understood exactly what the passage meant.

Ruby's foot shook back and forth, a nervous habit of the soul whose body she was wearing. Muscle memory, they call it. "Well?"

"Shhh. Can't you see I'm reading?"

Her head dropped back heavily, pulling out a groan. "You've been reading the same thing for an hour, Lil."

"I just want to make sure I understand everything perfectly." Silence once again filled the candle lit room, the only sound being Lilith's fingernail as it moved along the paper.

Finally, she sat back and smirked at the lower level demon.

"Am I right? Is that what we need in order to free him?" Ruby worked hard not to shift under the weight of Lilith's gaze.

"It is."

"I _knew_ it!"

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"To rule Hell alongside Lucifer? You goddamn right I am."

"Because once I'm dead, there are going to be those loyal to me and him that will resist. You have quite the track record-"

Ruby waved a hand. "I'm ready. I can do this."

"Alright, let's get started. This is your plan, so you take the lead."

The demon's eyes flicked to black as she rubbed her hands together. "First, we need to fake a prophecy about the baby."

Intrigued, Lilith dipped her chin. "I think I can take care of that."


	9. Yellow Fever

Jax lay back, knees bent, feet planted on the edge of the bed. Palms down on her belly, she pushed against her acrobatic son. "Jesus. Those ribs aren't for swinging off of."

Nicole looked over the rims of her glasses. "He's just stretching his legs."

"He's stretching more than that." The expectant mother hissed as he cartwheeled around the limited space. "I don't know how I'm going to make it another 15 weeks."

"I don't think you really have a choice."

Jax shared a soft laugh with her best friend and couldn't help but notice the smile didn't reach her normally sparkling green eyes. "Hey, are you ok?"

She fiddled with the pen, rolling the cap between her fingers, and bounced her leg nervously. What was she supposed to say? Her ex-demon blood drinking boyfriend was going through withdrawals like it was nobody's business, but he didn't want anybody to know so he locked himself in the bathroom? That his anguished cries kept her up at night? That he dug his nails into his palms to keep everyone from noticing that he had the shakes? She shrugged half-heartedly, "couldn't be better."

Jax knew her friend was lying by the way her eyes kept darting down to her hands. She also knew better than to push it further. She sat up slowly, grunting when her stomach grew even firmer. "Have you found anything?"

Ever since their encounter with Ruby, the girls had scoured over every bit of information they could get their hands on. Cas had said the baby had been prophesized. What if Heaven wasn't the only one with a prophecy? What if Hell had their own agenda? What if that was Ruby's endgame? As if they didn't have enough on their collective plates, they were also working a case. Nothing new, right? Wrong. Dean had been infected with… God knows what and the end result was death. No known cure. Par for the course for the Winchesters.

Nicole huffed loudly as she turned back to the table. "No, but I'm not giving up."

Jax stood behind Nicole and squeezed her shoulder. "Neither am I." They were all in this together.

* * *

Dean scratched his arm until it bled. "Dude, look at this."

Sam winced as he handed over a box of donuts. "I just talked to Bobby."

"And?" In a very un-Dean-like fashion, he smelled the box of donuts before throwing them into the car.

"Um, well, you're not gonna like it."

"What?"

"It's ghost sickness."

"Ghost sickness?"

"Yeah."

"What the fuck is ghost sickness?"

Sam worked at suppressing a chuckle. "Okay. Some cultures believe that certain spirits can infect the living with a disease, which is why they stopped displaying bodies in houses and started taking them off to funeral homes."

"Okay, get to the good stuff."

"Symptoms are you get anxious... then scared, then really scared, then your heart gives out. Sound familiar?"

"Yeah, but Sam, we haven't seen a ghost in weeks."

"Well, I doubt you caught it from a ghost. Look, once a spirit infects that first person, ghost sickness can spread like any sickness through a cough, a handshake, whatever. It's like the flu. Now, Frank O'Brien was the first to die, which means he was probably the first infected. Patient zero."

Dean couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Our very own outbreak monkey."

"Right. So get this, Frank was in Maumee over the weekend. Softball tournament. Which is where he must have infected the other two victims."

"Were they gamecocks?"

"Cornjerkers." The younger Winchester made a face at the not so subtle innuendo.

"So, ghosts infected Frank. He passed it on to the other guys and I got it from his corpse?"

"Right."

Panic erupted in Dean's stomach. "So now what, I have 48 hours before I go insane and my heart stops?"

"More like 24."

"Super. Well, why me? Why not you? I mean, you got hit with the spleen juice."

"Yeah, um, you see Bobby and I have a theory about that, too. Turns out all three victims shared a certain, uh, personality type. Frank was a bully. The other two victims, one was a vice principal, the other was a bouncer. Basically, they were all dicks."

"So you're saying I'm a dick?"

"No, no, no. It's not just that. All three victims used fear as a weapon, and now this disease is just returning the favor."

"I don't scare people."

"Dean, all we _do_ is scare people."

"Okay, well then, you're a dick, too." Hey, it made perfect sense in his mind.

Sam shrugged subtly, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his coat. "Apparently, I'm not."

"Whatever. How do we stop it?"

"We gank the ghost that started all this. We do that, the disease should clear up."

"You thinking Frank's wife?"

"Who knows why she killed herself, you know? Hey, what are you doing waiting out here, anyway?"

Looking up at the motel, Dean swallowed hard around the lump. "Our room's on the fourth floor. It's... it's high."

"I'll call the girls, see if we can move down to the first."

* * *

While Sam and the girls were out gathering information about one of the victims, Dean sat at the table with a book in front of him. The clock across the room began to tick louder with every beat of his heart. With a twitch in his shoulder, he focused on the book, but he started to cough. The clock ticked louder as the words on the pages began to change.

_You're dying._   
_Again._   
_Loser._

When his vision blurred, he rubbed at his eyes, squeezing the bridge of his nose.

_You gonna cry?  
Baby gonna cry._

* * *

Jax almost tripped over a broken clock. She looked at Dean, who was drinking beer. "Everything all right?"

"Oh, yeah. Just peachy. Find anything?"

Sam closed the door before dropping onto a chair across from his brother. "Yeah, Jessie O'Brien's body was cremated, so I'm pretty sure she is not our ghost."

Falling down next to her husband, Jax elbowed him in the side. "Hey, quit picking at that. How you feeling?"

"Awesome. It's nice to have my head on the chopping block again. I almost forgot what that feels like. It's freaking delightful."

"We'll keep looking." Nicole barely got the words out before Dean started coughing.

Sam was hot on his brother's tail as he ran across the room. "You okay? Hey!"

Dean gagged over the sink before finally spitting out a wood chip.

Jax was at his side, running a hand over the width of his shoulders. "We've been completely ignoring the biggest clue we have, you."

"I don't want to be a clue." He downright pouted, bottom lip pushed out and everything.

"The abrasions, this, the disease, it's trying to tell us something."

Dean stared in confusion at his brother. "Tell us what, wood chips?"

* * *

At the mill, Dean couldn't help but be nervous. "I'm not going in there."

"I need backup, and unless you want your pregnant wife with me, you're going in, Dean."

Dean took a long pull of whiskey, liquid courage. "Let's do this. It is a little spooky, isn't it?" When Sam held out a gun, that already flimsy courage began to falter. "Oh, I'm not carrying that. It could go off. I'll man the flashlight."

Irritated, Sam slammed the trunk. "You do that."

The brothers walked slowly through the mill, the EMF detector going off like the 4th of July in Sam's pocket.

"EMF's not gonna work with me around, is it?"

"You don't say. Come on."

They didn't even take five steps when Sam noticed something. "Wait... to Frank. Love, Jessie." It was Frank O'Brien's wedding ring.

"What the hell was Frank doing here?"

"No idea."

The last room was full of lockers, and a rustling sound was coming from one of them. Dean's hands started to shake as his heart pounded. With his gun drawn, Sam threw open the door, and out jumped a cat, pulling a high-pitched scream from his brother.

"That was scary!" Once he composed himself, something on the ground caught his eye. "Wait."

It was a company ID card. "Luther Garland."

On a work station covered in debris and paper, Dean spotted a drawing. "Hey, this is uh... this is Frank's wife."

"Plot thickens."

"Yeah, but into what?"

Dean tore the drawing off the table and several machines turned on. With wide eyes he scanned the room, stopping at the sight of a large man standing in the corner. Without saying anything, he alerted Sam, who spun around. "Hey!"

Unable to take the fear any longer, Dean ran from the building, leaving his brother alone with the ghost. Sam shot at it before running after Dean, finding him behind the Impala, drinking greedily from a bottle of whiskey. "Guess we got the right place."

* * *

It was late when Dean got back from the Sheriff's office. The information about Luther and how he died was downright cruel. No wonder this guy went after assholes. Jax was sleeping in the other room and judging by the lack of light coming from under the room next door, Nicole had turned in, too.

Sam burst into the room. "I looked everywhere for you, Dean. How the hell did you get here?"

"Ran. What do we do now? I got less than four hours on the clock. I'm gonna die, Sammy."

Something about his brother had changed, but Dean couldn't figure out what it was. "Yeah, you are. You're going back."

"Back?"

"Downstairs Dean, hell. It's about damn time, too. Truth is," Sam's eyes flicked yellow, just like the demon that infected him, "you've been a real pain in my ass." With a turn of his wrist, Dean was thrown into a wall.

He struggled against the invisible hold. "No! You get out of my brother, you evil son of a bitch!"

"No one's possessing me, Dean. This is what I'm going to become. This is what I _want_ to become. There's nothing you can do about it." With a snarl, Sam began to choke Dean.

Just when he thought he was going to black out, Dean snapped back to reality. Yellow eyes faded to hazel as Sam shook his brother. "Hey, hey, hey, Dean. Hey, Dean. Dean. Dean."

* * *

Sam and Nicole sat on the Impala as a faded blue Chevelle drove up.

Bobby emerged, smiling at Nicole. "Howdy, kids."

Not caring that he wasn't much of a hugger, Nicole wrapped her arms around the aging hunter. "Hey, Bobby. Thanks for coming so quick."

"Where's Dean?" He returned the hug, squeezing the air from her lungs.

Sam shuffled on his feet. "Uh, home sick."

"So, have his hallucinations started yet?"

"Yeah, a few hours ago." Nicole leaned against Bobby's car, arm crossed, and kicked at a pile of wood chips.

"How we doing on time?"

Sam took a peek at his watch. "We saw the coroner about 8:00 a.m. Monday morning, so, uh... just under two hours. What about you? You find anything?"

"This uh, encyclopedia of spirits dates to the Edo period."

"You can read Japanese?" When Bobby answered in Japanese, Sam scoffed. "Guess so, show-off."

"Anyway, this book lists a kind of ghost that could be our guy. It uh, infects people with fear. It's called a Buru Buru."

Nicole was peeking around Sam as he flipped through the book. "Does it say how to kill it?"

"Same as usual. Burn the remains."

"Wonderful. Uh... is there a Plan "B"?" Sam didn't really like doing things without some sort of a back-up plan.

"Well, the Buru Buru is born of fear. Hell, it _is_ fear. And the lore says we can kill it with fear."

"So we have to scare a ghost to death?"

"Pretty much."

"How the hell we gonna do that?"

* * *

Bobby shook his head. "This is a terrible plan."

Nicole poked her head out the window. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"I know I said, 'scare the ghost to death', but this?"

Sam ran a hand through his hair. "Hey, you got a better idea, I'm listening."

Neither Nicole nor Bobby had anything better, and they all knew it. When Bobby shook his head and Nicole pulled hers back into the Impala, Sam entered the mill.

* * *

Feeling impatient, Bobby spoke into the walkie talkie. "Any luck?"

"I don't know what's wrong, Bobby. Last time he came right at us. It's almost like he's, uh... like he's scared."

"So now what?"

"I guess I got to make him angry. Hey, Luther!" Remembering what happened when Dean removed a drawing, Sam took it one step further and started to tear them in half. Machines screamed as they came to life. "Come on, Luther! Where the hell are you? What are you waiting for?"

Luther appeared as Sam spun around.

* * *

Dean sat on the edge of the bed while Jax slept. Her even breathing should have been relaxing, it usually was, but not this time. He scratched at his arm, drawing blood as the hallucination from earlier played on a loop in his mind.

_You're going back. It's about damn time too._

A loud bark erupted into the room. He would know that sound anywhere, Hellhounds. Something on the floor caught his attention, it looked like his watch, but after picking it up, he realized it was the Bible.

A little girl appeared next to him. "Hi, Dean."

If he thought he was afraid before, he was sorely mistaken. "Huh, no! No!"

"Yes! It's me, Lilith." She wrapped her arms around the quaking hunter, closing her eyes as she hummed happily. "Oh, I missed you so much. It's time to go back now."

He moved away from her, falling onto the floor in the process. "You – you are not real!"

She looked as if someone kicked her Hellhound. "What's the matter, Dean? Don't you remember all the fun you had down there? You do remember. 4 months is like 40 years in hell. Like doggy years. And you remember every second."

The pounding of his heart grew louder as it hammered against his chest. "You are not real."

"It doesn't matter. You're still gonna die. You're still gonna burn."

"Why me? Why'd I get infected?"

Humor skittered across her features. "Silly goose. You know why, Dean. Listen."

"Wha...?" It was then that Jax started shifting in the bed, making noises of discomfort. Her swollen stomach became exposed and Dean watched as his son pushed against her belly button.

"Baboom, baboom, baboom, baboom." Lilith stomped with each word, in time with Dean's son pushing against his mother.

* * *

In the mill, surrounded by dangerous machinery, Sam fought with Luther. Ghost against human, it almost wasn't a fair fight.

* * *

Dean was rooted to his spot on the floor while his wife cried out in agony. She writhed on the bed, clutching at her stomach while Lilith taunted him. His worst fear wasn't dying or going back to Hell. Sure, it scared him, but nothing scared him more than losing his child.

* * *

Finally, Sam looped a chain around Luther's neck. He called out for Nicole, "punch it!"

Gravel spit out as she stomped on the gas pedal, pulling Luther's spirit onto the road until he disappeared in a spray of smoke and sparks.

* * *

Lilith vanished, as did the barking Hellhound, leaving Dean gasping for air and covered in sweat. He focused on the bed where his wife slept on her side, her back to him. None of it had been real. Lilith hadn't been there and she hadn't tried to kill his son.

* * *

"So you guys road-hauled a ghost with a chain?" Dean tossed the beer cap into the field.

"Iron chain etched with spell work." Sam couldn't help but sound proud.

"Hmm, that's a new one."

"It was what he was most afraid of. It was pretty brutal, though."

"On the upside, I'm still alive, so uh, go team!"

"Yeah. How you feeling, by the way?"

"Fine."

Bobby felt like poking fun at him. "You sure, Dean? 'Cause this line of work can get awful scary."

"I'm fine. You want to go hunting? I'll hunt. I'll kill anything."

"Awwww, he's adorable. I got to get out of here. You boys drive safe."

Sam dipped his head in a curt nod. "You too, Bobby. Hey, thanks." He waited until Bobby's car disappeared in a cloud of dust. "So what did you see? Near the end, I mean."

Dean looked at Sam and struggled to keep the remnants of fear in check when his brother's eyes flashed yellow. "Just what happened with Jax and the baby."

"Nothing else?" The yellow started to fade, but it clung to Sam's pupils for a few heartbeats longer.

"Nope."

"Right." With a blink, the yellow finally disappeared.

* * *

Nicole rest a hand on her friend's stomach. "Nothing actually happened to you, did it?"

Jax was lying in bed, her belly exposed and an arm behind her head. "No. It was all a part of Dean's fear. We're fine."

* * *

Lilith and Ruby looked over the parchment closely. It looked old and fragile, like it would turn to dust if you even looked at it funny. Words written in an almost dead language foretold of a child. A child that would be born of two blessed bloodlines. A child that would bring about the Apocalypse.

Ruby damn near jumped for joy. "Lil, this is perfect!"

Lilith pushed back from her desk, standing before the bouncing brunette. "You asked for the best."

"All we need now is to make it look convincing when I bring this to them."

The older demon's eyes flicked black. "Are you ready?"

All Ruby had to do was nod her consent before Lilith struck her to the ground with her power. If Ruby wanted to look like she got her ass handed to her, who was Lilith to say no? All that could be heard outside the room was grunts and groans. It continued for an hour before silence fell.

* * *

Sam flung the door open and found Ruby on the floor. Her face was covered in bruises, cuts, and not quite dried blood. He gave a shout to Nicole, ordering her to clear the books off the couch. Ruby groaned in pain as she was pulled off the floor. She tried to say his name, but it was slurred as if she'd been drinking. Her head pounded as she struggled to stay awake, to tell Sam about the prophecy, but Lilith really did a number on her. The parchment slid from her hand as soon as she was placed on the couch.

Nicole picked it up and scanned over the faded writing.


	10. Chapter 10

The final blow from Lilith was almost enough to make Ruby rethink their plan. She couldn't even pull herself from the floor. Blood pooled as it spilled from various cuts on her face, the biggest being the gash on her cheekbone. She made a noise she didn't recognize, it rattled her lungs and came from deep in her belly.

Lilith held out her hand, offering assistance to the mastermind. "You said to make it look convincing."

She dare not nod in agreement out of fear it would drive her into unconsciousness. The scroll was placed in her hand a moment before she disappeared. Relying on the intel that the hunters were at the same motel, Ruby landed on her knees in the hallway outside room 105. She fell against the door and pounded as hard as she could before falling back to the floor.

The door was flung open, driving a blast of air conditioning in her face. Sam's voice boomed, shouting out some sort of order, but all Ruby could focus on was the fact that her skull felt like it was going crack like an eggshell. Thick arms pulled her from the floor making her groan in agony. She wouldn't be surprised if she had a broken rib or two, Lilith packed quite the punch. She tried to say his name, but it was slurred as if she'd been drinking. Her head throbbed as she struggled to stay awake, to tell Sam about the prophecy. The hunter placed her on the couch and that's when she gave in to the darkness eating at her vision.

Seeing something fall from the demon's grip, Nicole picked it up and scanned over the faded writing once the aged scroll was unrolled. While Sam fussed over the state he had found Ruby in, Nicole sat at the table and worked on translating the ancient language.

She didn't even tell Sam what it said before tearing out of the room.

* * *

Jax paced, bare feet noiseless against the yellowed tile. Her intense gaze was fixed on the beaten and slightly less bloody demon as she gnawed on her bottom lip. "I don't like it."

"Nobody likes it, J." Her husband was doing his own pacing behind the couch where Ruby lay.

"No... I mean the fact that _she_ was the one to discover this 'prophecy'."

"You're saying we shouldn't take it seriously?" Nicole sat with her legs crossed beneath her.

"You bet your ass we're taking this seriously!"

"Of course we are, Dean, but we have to consider the source." Jax pointed at Ruby, who was now covered in a thin blanket, her black hiking boots on the floor.

Sam couldn't keep quiet any longer. "What is _wrong_ with you guys?"

Three sets of eyes bore into him. His brother spoke first. "Excuse me?"

"Look at her, Dean, she's been beaten all to hell."

"That don't mean shit. She's a demon and _I_ don't trust her."

"Oh good, this argument again." Before anyone could stop him, Sam stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Dean's hands flexed as he ground his teeth. "Son of a bitch." He tore off after his brother, leaving the girls alone with Ruby.

Once the door slammed for a second time, Jax went over to the table and looked over the parchment. "Are you _sure_ that's what it says?"

Nicole shrugged, shoving her glasses back on. Her eyes ached, throbbing from trying to read the faded phrases. "Best I can tell. It's a very old language. Like, pre-dates Jesus, old."

Ruby shifted, groaning as she turned her head. Jax pulled Nicole into the bedroom and closed the door, leaving enough of a gap that they could keep an eye on the demon. "Do you think this has been part of her plan all along?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. She's always been a little too hungry for… dominance… power… take your pick."

Jax ran a hand through her hair, squeezing the back of her neck before finding the urge to say what was making her chest hurt. "What if… what if it's true though? What if the death of this baby is the final seal that frees Lucifer?"

Nicole grabbed her friend by the shoulders. "You know what, say it is. It's not, but just because, let's say it is true. You really think any of us will let that black eyed bitch get her hands on your baby? We'll kill every last demon if we have to."

* * *

Sam was leaning against the trunk of the Impala when Dean found him. His arms were crossed, one foot kicked over the other, and he was staring up at the night sky. "Listen –"

"No, Dean. I'm tired of listening. I've heard everything you've had to say about Ruby and how much you don't trust her. But, I do! She helped me-"

"She _poisoned_ you! She had you drinking her blood, Sam. Demon blood!"

"I KNOW!" Sam pushed away from the car, his hands driving through his hair.

"Really? You know, huh? Is that why you've been calling her?"

"What? So I need your say so to make a phone call?"

"God damn it, Sam. What else aren't you telling us?" He groaned into the palm of his hand as he drug it down his face.

Sam squared his shoulders as if preparing for a fight. "None of your fucking business."

"See what I mean? We used to be in this together. We used to have each other's backs."

"Ok, fine. You know why I didn't tell you about Ruby and how we're hunting down Lilith? Because you're too weak to go after her, Dean."

Dean's hands shook as he struggled to keep his anger in check. "That's crap."

"You're too focused on Jax, on the baby. I'm a better hunter than you. Stronger, smarter. I can take out demons you're too scared to go near."

The weight of Sam's words hit Dean like a punch to the gut. "You're drinking again, aren't you?"

"N-no."

"Son of a bitch. Sam-"

"Don't say it. I know you're disappointed. You've said it a hundred times." They stared at each other for several minutes, the tension growing thicker until it felt like it was physically forcing them to take a step back from one another. Sam opened his mouth to say… hell, he didn't know what he was going to say, probably apologize, but a scream ripped through the night, and it was coming from their room.

* * *

Dean reached the room first and found Nicole on the floor, crying, shaking, and bleeding from the back of the head. But he didn't go to her. He ran into the bedroom, where Nicole was pointing. The room was a mess. The bed was overturned, curtains were ripped, and there was blood on the floor. Not a lot, but enough to worry the hunter.

When he ran back out, Sam was on his knees, clutching Nicole to his chest, running hands over her back and through her hair.

"Where is she?" Dean's voice was gruffer than normal, struggling to keep his anxiety in check.

Sam glared at his brother. "What do you mean?"

"Ruby's _gone_ , little brother, and so is Jax."

He whirled around to look at the couch. Finding it was in fact empty, Sam faced his brother. "I swear, Dean –"

"Don't!" He paced, the heels of his boots hitting heavy on the tile. Chewing on the cuticle of his thumb, he muttered under his breath as he went.

Nicole pushed back from Sam, brushing away the streaks of mascara. "I'm sorry, Sam. I… I tried to stop her, but she wasn't alone."

"It's ok, baby." He swept his thumbs through the smeared makeup. "Who else was here?"

"It was Lilith. She's back."

Hearing her name, Dean stopped and stared hard at the pair of hunters on the floor. "God damn it, Cas! Answer me!"

The sound of feathers rustling filled the room as the Angel appeared out of thin air. "I have heard you, Dean. What is it I can help you with?"

* * *

Jax grunted. "Let me go!"

Lilith released the struggling mother to be and laughed. "Calm down. We're not going to hurt you."

"We're not?" Ruby's injury coated voice startled Jax.

"You _bitch_. Stay back!"

"Didn't you hear me? We're not going to hurt you. Please, do sit down. We have much to discuss." Lilith sank down into her plush office chair as she pointed to the chair Ruby sat when the plan was hatched. The plan that included Sam freeing Lucifer from the pit.

Jax sat back, her hands covering her swollen belly protectively, and was horrified. "This… this will never work. Sam won't do that."

"Not even to save the life of his nephew?" Despite the swollen lip, Ruby smirked from behind Lilith.

"Oh he'll kill you, but not at the risk of freeing Lucifer."

"You see, dear, that's where you're wrong. Those boys think that the blood of your child will set Lucifer free. They have no idea that it's my blood that needs to be spilled."

Jax looked hard at Lilith. "You're willing to die for him?" The demons laughed, and it set Jax's teeth on edge.

"Wouldn't you be willing to die for the cause?" Lilith smoothed the silk shirt over her thighs.

"What do you get out of this?"

Ruby pushed away from the wall. "I get to be Queen, baby."

* * *

Nicole was sitting on the couch drinking a large helping of whiskey when Castiel reappeared. The glass tumbled from her still shaking fingers, but the angel caught before it could shatter on the table. "I am sorry. I did not mean to startle you."

"I swear, I'll never get used to that." She ran a hand over her face, smearing the remnants of her makeup further.

"Where are Sam and Dean? I have news about Jax."

The brothers came in the room at that exact moment, carrying bags of Chinese takeout. The bags hit the table heavily and before anyone could blink, Dean was standing in front of the Angel. "Where is she?"

"You are not going to like it, Dean."

"No shit. Now tell me, where is my wife?"

Castiel ground his jaw before answering. "Uriel and I believe that Lilith is working with Ruby."

"Yeah, we got that." Dean cast an accusatory glance over his shoulder, at his brother. Either Sam didn't notice, or he chose to ignore it by turning his gaze to Nicole.

"They are not working alone."

"Would you get to the fucking point?" Dean's anger reached a new boiling point as he itched to punch the Angel.

"We believe they are working for… with Alastair."


	11. On the Head of a Pin Part 1

"We believe that they are working for… with Alastair." The Angel of the Lord was met with three wide, disbelieving gazes.

Dean's tight voice cut through the thickening tension. "Come again?"

"Was I not clear?"

"No, I just want to try and wrap my brain around what you said."

Castiel shifted on his feet when the hunter he pulled from Hell stalked toward him. "I have it on good authority that Ruby and Lilith are working with Alastair."

Dean threw a punch, hitting Castiel square in the jaw, but the Angel didn't flinch. The hunter fell to his knees, groaning in pain, and clutching a hand to his chest. "I fail to see how hitting me will make the situation any better."

While Nicole ran into the kitchen to grab some ice, Sam helped his brother off the floor. "Damn it, Cas. Jax is pregnant –"

Piercing blue eyes focused on the tallest Winchester. "I know this."

"With a prophesized child and not only is she in the hands of Ruby _and_ Lilith, but Alastair."

"Yes."

Dean growled in frustration. "The demon that tortured me for 40 years!"

"This is not news to any one of us, Dean."

"Get the fuck out of my sight."

Nicole handed the ice to Dean, not surprised when he didn't accept it. "Cas, do you know where they're holding her?"

"I'm sorry. That information wasn't retrieved."

"Retrieved? What the hell does that mean?" Dean finally accepted the ice, grimacing as the hard cubes pressed against his bruised knuckles.

"We have some connections."

"Oh my God, I don't fucking believe this. Get him away from me, Sam."

Sam stepped between his brother and the Angel that didn't seem to understand the most basic of human emotions. "These connections, could they get us a location on Alastair?"

"It is possible, yes. But –"

"Go." Sam glared at Castiel until the Angel disappeared in a flutter of feathers.

Not waiting for Dean to start spouting off about Cas, Sam spit out the first idea that popped into his head. "What if we call Ruby?"

Dean spun on his booted heel, all but throwing the ice onto the couch. "Excuse me? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"Hear me out," he held up his hands in defense, never know when Dean might start swinging, "we know Ruby and Lilith are working together."

"No fucking shit, Sherlock."

"So she obviously wants us to think that she's going behind Lilith's back. I mean, why else would she show up here looking like she went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson."

Nicole seemed to be on the same wavelength as Sam. "What if we summon her, get her to believe that _we_ believe her –"

Sam snapped his fingers, "and we get _her_ to tell us their plan."

Dean ground his jaw hard enough that the other two winced. "You seem to have her on speed dial, Sammy, give her a call."

The news hit Nicole like a ton of bricks. "What?"

Sam stared at his brother hard enough that it would have felt like a physical blow to anyone else before turning a much softer gaze to his girlfriend. "I can explain."

* * *

With a sigh, Sam tossed his phone onto the bed. "Ruby will meet us outside Cheyenne. I know she's not exactly on anyone's Christmas list, but if she can help us get to Lilith –" a crack of skin on skin cut him off. A perfect outline of Nicole's small hand sprang to life on his cheek.

With a hiss, she shook her tingling hand. "The only reason that bitch is still alive is because she can get us to Jax."

His eyes flashed as he worked his jaw. "I deserved that."

"You god damn right." Tears threatened to spill, but she wouldn't give in. There were bigger and badder things happening. Some hurt feelings would have to wait until her friend was safe.

Castiel appeared in the middle of everyone, quickly followed by Uriel. Even the Angels could feel the tension. Castiel waited until Dean put down the half-empty bottle of beer. "We have Alistair."

"That was fast." Dean actually looked impressed.

The blue-eyed Angel shrugged, his trench coat rustling in the small room. "But he won't talk. Alastair's will is very strong. We've arrived at an impasse."

"Yeah, well, he's like a black belt in torture. I mean, you guys are out of your league."

Uriel shoved his hands into the expensive Italian suit his meat suit preferred. "We have you."

Sam didn't like where this was going. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Your brother just happens to be the most qualified interrogator we've got."

When Dean looked down at the floor, Sam scoffed hard enough that it hurt. "Dean! You can't honestly be thinking about it."

"What would you do, little brother?" The conflict in Dean's eyes was enough to drive Sam back a step. That was all the confirmation the Angel's needed. Before anyone could protest, Sam and Nicole were alone in the motel room.

"Damn it!"

* * *

The drive to Cheyenne was long and filled with only the sounds of rubber on asphalt and the wind as it blew in through the open window. Nicole hadn't said a word to Sam, and she didn't plan on saying anything. What would she say? What _could_ she say? He had lied about being in contact with Ruby. What else had he lied about?

_"_ _I swear, I haven't had a drop in weeks."_

_"_ _That's not what Dean is saying, Sam!"_

_"_ _God damn it, Nicole! I'm clean, I swear!"_

_"_ _But for how much longer?"_

_He shouted wordlessly before thrusting his hands through his hair. "I don't know!"_

Even at the motel as they waited for the demon, Nicole kept her distance. She couldn't be close to him, not when he admitted that he might need to break his sobriety.

A soft knock all but echoed in the room. Sam opened the door and there stood Ruby, her face clear of any sign of previous injury. "I can smell them on you. Seriously, Sam, I'm not exactly dying to tangle with angels again."

"I need you to tell me where they took Dean. You are in Alastair's secret circle, after all."

"Not sure I see the problem. You know they have Alastair strung up six ways from Sunday. Dean cuts himself a slice, Al's reduced to a quivering heap, and the good guys get the goods. What's wrong with that?"

Sam shook his head roughly. "He can't do it."

She had the nerve to look at him with sympathy. "Look, I get it. You don't want him going all torture master again."

"No. I mean, he _can't_ do it. He can't get the job done. Ever since he married Jax, and now the baby, he's not the same man he used to be. He's not… strong enough."

"And you are"

Turning so Nicole couldn't see his face, Sam lowered his voice. "I will be."

Ruby sneered. "I don't know his exact location, but there's a spell."

* * *

When Ruby started to chant, Nicole fled from the room. There was too much tension between her and Sam, along with a different kind of tension between hunter and demon. A tension that made her question Sam's loyalty to her.

The demon continued the spell, holding a lit candle to the corner of a map. Sam, too intrigued by the spell to notice the disappearance of his girlfriend, tensed when the map started to burn.

"Relax. The fire is our friend. Besides, the only part of the map we need is the 'where's Dean?' part. Out." The flames vanished, leaving the map charred save for a small circle in the middle. "There. Your brother's there. It's a good thing angels aren't concerned with hiding their dirty business. Not used to being spied on. I mean, who'd be stupid enough to try?"

Sam worked at keeping his hands steady. "Ruby, it's been weeks. I need it." Despite the fact that it's been weeks since he's been high, his body craved another hit of her blood.

"You don't seem too happy about it."

"You think I wanna do this? This is the last thing I –" he dropped to the bed, running a hand through his hair, "but I need to be strong enough."

It didn't matter that Nicole could come back at any moment, Ruby straddled Sam's lap. "It's okay. It's okay, Sammy. You can have it." Drawing a knife from a hidden sheath at her ankle, she cut her arm. Dark red demon blood welled at the surface and before it could drip down, Sam's mouth was on the cut. He drank deep from her, moaning into the wound.

Stroking his hair, Ruby smirked. "It's ok, Sam."

One moment, Ruby was sitting on Sam's lap, the next, she was thrown across the room. She smashed into the table and grabbed the back of her head where Nicole had grabbed a handful of hair. The short hunter towered over her, breathing heavily with an open flask of holy water. "You've served your purpose, now get the fuck out."

Ruby jumped up and watched as Sam fell onto the bed, his eyes having rolled back as his nervous system soared higher and higher. "He hasn't had enough."

"I say he has. Now get out."

The demon bared her teeth as she sneered. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of each other. He's not done with me yet."

"GET OUT!" Nicole threw the holy water at the demon, satisfied when it hit her, burning her neck and chest.

Ruby disappeared, leaving Nicole with a demon blood high hunter. Nicole pulled in a shuddering breath and walked to the bed. "Sam? Sam! Let's go get Dean."

* * *

Lilith was pouring a glass of wine when Ruby entered. "How did it go?"

Declining the offering, she sat down and kicked her feet onto the desk. "Everyone is right where we want them."

"Excellent."


	12. On the Head of a Pin Part 2

Seeing the hesitation in Dean's eyes, Castiel voiced his reassurance. "This devil's trap is old Enochian. Alastair is bound completely."

Making up his mind for the 10th time, Dean clenched his jaw. "You might not want to be here for this, Cas. I go through that door, you will not like what walks back out."

"For what it's worth, I would give anything not to have you do this." Castiel meant it, too. If there was another way to find Jax, to get her and the unborn child out of the line of fire, he would move Heaven and Earth. But right now, this seemed to be the only way.

* * *

Dean wheeled a loaded cart covered with a cloth into the room, the door slamming closed echoed through the metal room. Grinning, Alastair watched his once blossoming apprentice before singing, moving within the chains almost as though he is dancing.

"Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. I seem to find the happiness I seek, when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek."

Dean pulled the cloth off the cart, revealing an assortment of torture implements. When Alastair laughed, the hunter worked hard to ignore him.

"I'm sorry. This is a very serious, very emotional situation for you. I shouldn't laugh, it's just that… I mean, are they serious? They sent _you_ to torture me?"

Dean's face was void of any and all emotion. "You got one chance. One. Tell me where my wife is."

"You think I'll see all your scary toys and spill my guts?"

"Oh, you'll spill your guts, one way or another. I just didn't wanna ruin my shoes. Now answer the question."

"Or what? You'll work me over? But then, maybe you don't want to. Maybe you're scared to."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

The demon made a _tsk_ sound with his tongue. "Not entirely. You left part of yourself back in the Pit. Let's see if we can get the two of you back together again, shall we?"

"You're gonna be disappointed." Dean walked to the cart, looking over the assortment of tools the Angels had provided.

"You have not disappointed me so far. Come on. You gotta want a little payback for everything I did to you. For all the pokes and prods. Hmm?" Seeing the lack of response from Dean, Alastair decided to push it futher. "No? Um... how about for all the things I did to your daddy?"

That got a reaction from Dean. He glared at the demon with a clenched jaw.

"I had your pop on my rack for close to a century."

"You can't stall forever."

"John Winchester. Made a good name for himself. A hundred years. After each session, I'd make him the same offer I made you. I'd put down my blade if he picked one up."

"Just tell me where she is, Alastair."

"But he said _nein_ each and every time. Oh, damned if I couldn't break him. Pulled out all the stops, but John, he was, well, made of something unique. The stuff of heroes. And then came Dean. Dean Winchester. I thought I was up against it again."

Despite the fact that Dean was ready to slice and dice the son of a bitch, he needed something to help him _want_ to start. A long pull of whiskey did the trick.

"But daddy's little girl, he broke. He broke in thirty. Oh, just not the man your daddy wanted you to be, huh, Dean?"

After setting the bottle down, Dean poured holy water into a bowl.

"Now we're getting somewhere. Holy water? Come on. Grasshopper, you're gonna have to get creative to impress me."

The hunter finally looked up and met the demon's unwavering gaze. "You know something, Alastair? I could still dream. Even in hell. And over and over and over, you know what I dreamt? I dreamt of this moment."

Nervousness skittered across Alastair's features when Dean picked up a large needle. "And believe me, I got a few ideas." He filled the needle with holy water before making his way into the devil's trap. "Let's get started."

* * *

Alastair's blood boiled as the holy water pumped through his veins. "Oh, man. Ooh."

Dean was beginning to lose count of how many times he had emptied the syringe. "Let me know if you want some more. There's plenty left."

"Go directly to hell. Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars."

Deciding to move on, Dean held up the knife previously confiscated from Ruby. Alastair laughed roughly, blood bubbles foamed at the corner of his mouth. "There's that little pig-poker. I wondered where it went."

Holy water was poured over the etched blade, and yet, Alastair kept talking. "Do you really think this is gonna fix you? Give you closure? That is sad. That's really sad. Sad, sad." Not that he would admit, but the fact that Dean wasn't talking, bothered the demon.

He approached Alastair and with a heavy gaze and thrust the blade into him. The sound and smell of sizzling flesh filled the small space between them.

"I carved you into a new animal, Dean. There is no going back."

"Maybe you're right. But now it's my turn to carve."

"No!" For the first time since the Angels ambushed him, tied him up, and tried to torture him, Alastair felt a flash of fear blossom in his belly.

* * *

Alastair laughed roughly. "Now it's your professionalism that I respect."

He had had enough. Dean threw holy water in Alastair's face. Smoke billowed as the demon gurgled. "Where is my WIFE?"

The demon continued to choke, spitting out blood and holy water. "You're just not getting deep enough. Well, you lack the resources. Reality is just, I don't know, too concrete up here. Honestly, Dean. You have no idea how bad it really was, and what you really did for us."

"Shut up."

"The whole bloody thing, Dean. The reason Lilith wanted you there in the first place."

"Well, then I'll just make you shut up." He grabbed Alastair roughly by the chin.

"Lilith really –" Salt was poured into the demon's mouth, burning him from the inside out.

* * *

More blood and holy water was expelled as the demon struggled to gather his breath. "Something's caught in my throat. I think it's my throat."

Dean smirked, pleased with himself. "Well, strap in, 'cause I'm just starting to have fun."

"You know, it was supposed to be your father. He was supposed to bring it on. But, in the end, it was you."

Well this was something he hadn't heard before. "Bring what on?"

"Oh, every night, the same offer, remember? Same as your father. And finally you said, _sign me up._ Oh, the first time you picked up my razor, the first time you sliced into that weeping bitch... that was the first seal."

"You're lying."

"And it is written that the first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in hell. As he breaks, so shall it break."

He turned away, not liking the way this conversation was headed.

"We had to break the first seal before any others. Only way to get the dominoes to fall, right? Topple the one at the front of the line. When we win, when we bring on the apocalypse and burn this earth down, we'll owe it all to you, Dean Winchester. Believe me, son, I wouldn't lie about this. It's kind of a religious sort of thing with me." His speech was long winded partly because he liked the sound of his own voice. Another part of him reveled in seeing Dean absorb the news, struggle with the fact that he was the first seal. But most of it was to keep Dean distracted. A faucet had been dripping onto the Enochian devil's trap, making it possible for Alastair to escape.

"No. I don't think you are lying. But even if the demons do win," he looked down at the holy water and salt encrusted knife, "you won't be there to see it."

Dean turned around not expecting to be face to face with the demon he just spent hours torturing. "You should talk to your plumber about the pipes." Alastair threw everything he had into a punch, slamming Dean into the concrete.

Beating the living shit out of Dean Winchester was fun. Alastair grew stronger with every punch and kick, the holy water working its way out of the open wounds. He wrenched the hunter off the floor by his neck and punched him repeatedly, driving guttural grunts and moans from the man he once thought could replace him in Hell.

Dean's feet dangled in the air as Alastair's grip on his neck tightened further. "You got a lot to learn, boy. So I'll see you back in class bright and early Monday morning."

Feeling that they were no longer alone in the room, Alastair turned, and found Castiel holding Ruby's knife. Dean was released, falling in a beaten and bloody mess onto the floor just as Alastair was stabbed. Gold sparks burst from the wound, but nothing like what should have happened.

"Well, almost. Looks like God is on my side today."

Despite his confusion, Castiel used his power to twist the blade. The demon grunted in pain before pulling out the knife and tossing it away. He charged the Angel, slamming him into the wall before choking him.

"Well, like roaches, you celestials. Now, I really wish I knew how to kill you. But all I can do is send you back to heaven."

With Castiel bleeding and unable to catch his breath, Alastair began chanting in Latin. A bright light erupted from the Angel's eyes and mouth before dying out suddenly when the incantation was cut off. Castiel slumped to the floor as Alastair was thrown across the room by an unseen force.

Sam, followed closely by Nicole, entered the room, his hand held out in front of him, and his jaw clenched. Nicole rushed over to Castiel, but he waved her away, he could heal himself. It was Dean that was almost dead from internal bleeding.

Alastair struggled against the force that pinned him to the wall. "Stupid pet tricks."

"Where is she? Where are you holding Jax?"

"You think I'm gonna tell you?"

A smirk like none other took control of Sam's lips. "Yeah, I do." The hunter twisted his hand and Alastair's eyes turned white as they rolled back into his head.

"Where are you keeping Jax?"

Alastair choked on blood. "I don't know."

"Right."

"Lilith changed the plan without consulting me first."

"I don't believe you."

"What? You don't think she's capable of running her own scheme? That bitch is crazy."

Sam stopped choking Alastair. What if the demon was right? What if Lilith and Ruby went behind Alastair's back? What would they do then? Ruby wouldn't give up that kind of information unless she got what she wanted, which was Sam high on her blood, by her side. The boy king sitting on the throne of Hell.

"Oh, go ahead. Send me back, if you can."

"Sam, no!" Nicole's voice fell on deaf ears.

"I'm stronger than that now. Now I can kill." He thrust his hand out and concentrated, using every ounce of his power to smite the demon. Gold light flickered from deep within Alastair, killing him as the knife should have. His screams were cut off suddenly as he died, his body falling to the floor with a thud.

* * *

While Dean lay in the hospital bed, heavily bandaged and connected to a breathing tube, Sam and Castiel met in the hallway. Nicole stayed in the room, just in case.

Castiel's already gravelly voice was deeper, laden with regret. "Sam –"

"Get in there and heal him. Miracle. Now."

"I can't."

"You and Uriel put him in there, and because you can't keep a simple devil's trap together, my brother is fighting for his life, and Jax is _still_ missing."

"I don't know what happened. That trap... it shouldn't have broken. I am sorry." He really was. Castiel never meant for any of this to happen.

"This whole thing was pointless. You understand that? He didn't know where Jax is."

"Perhaps Alastair was lying."

Sam squeezed the bridge of his nose. "No, he wasn't."

* * *

Nicole didn't meet Sam's gaze when he sat down on the other side of the bed. "What did Cas say?"

"Nothing worth repeating. Any change?"

The monitors behind her beeped rhythmically. "No." The only sound between them was the hiss of the breathing tube and the beeping of the machines. It was when she noticed Sam's shaking hands that she decided to say anything. "You didn't have to kill him, Sam."

His eyes blazed, and she swore his pupils bled past the iris. "It was him or Dean."

"What about Jax?"

Sam groaned as he pushed away from the bed. "We'll find her, Nicole."

"At what cost?"

* * *

Back in the interrogation room, Castiel examined the devil's trap. _It should not have failed._

"You called?" Uriel strode into the room, confidence flowing off him in waves. "What do you say, Castiel? Will you join me? Will you fight with me?"

"Strange. Strange how a leaky pipe can undo the work of angels when we ourselves are supposed to be the agents of fate."

"Alastair was much more powerful than we had imagined."

"No. No demon can overpower that trap. I made it myself. We've been friends for a long time, Uriel. Fought by each other's sides, served together away from home, for what seems like forever. We're brothers, Uriel. Pay me that respect. Tell me the truth."

The elder Angel sighed heavily. "The truth is," a sword dropped out from his sleeve and into his hand, "it was never supposed to go this far."

"You."

"I'm afraid so."

"And you broke the devil's trap, set Alastair on Dean."

"Alastair should never have been taken alive. Really inconvenient, Cas. Yes, I did turn the screw a little. Alastair should have killed Dean and escaped."

"But, what of Jax? What of the child?"

Uriel shrugged. "A mere price to pay. How long have we waited here? How long have we played this game by rules that make no sense?"

"It is our father's world, Uriel."

"Our father? He stopped being that, if he ever was, the moment he created them. Humanity, his favorites. This whining, puking larva."

"Are you trying to convert me?"

"I wanted you to join me. And I still do. With you, we can be powerful enough to raise our brother."

"Lucifer."

"You do remember him? How strong he was? How beautiful? And he didn't bow to humanity. He was punished for defending us. Now, if you want to believe in something, Cas, believe in him."

"Lucifer is not God."

"God isn't God anymore. He doesn't care what we do. I am proof of that."

Castiel shook his head, refusing to believe that the leader of the garrison, his brother, could do this. "But this?"

"Please, brother, don't fight me. _Help_ me. Help me bring on the apocalypse. All you have to do is be unafraid."

"For the first time in a long time, I am." Castiel punched Uriel, sending the elder Angel through the wall, his weapon sliding out of reach. Uriel righted himself quickly, grabbing a metal bar to strike down his brother.

"You can't win, Uriel. I still serve God."

"You haven't even met the man." Uriel punched Cas, pulling blood from deep gashes. "There is no will. No wrath. No God."

Uriel raised his arm to lay another blow, but his arm did not fall. The sword he dropped earlier pierced his neck. Nicole stood behind him, on her tip toes since the Angel was more than a head taller than her. "Maybe. Or maybe not. But that's not your decision, you son of a bitch." With a grunt, she pulled the sword out.

Castiel jumped up and covered Nicole with his body, protecting her from the white light that burst out of Uriel. When the light and high-pitched hum faded, Uriel lay on the floor, his wings seared into the floor.

Nicole looked up at Cas and dropped the bloody sword. "Are you ok?"

The injuries he had sustained started to heal. "I am, thank you. How did you find me?"

"Something about this whole thing wasn't right, and I figured if you went anywhere, it would be here."

He inclined his head, furrowing his brows as he studied her face. "What is troubling you?"

Nicole gnawed at her bottom lip, giving her head a shake to try and hide the fact that she was about to cry. "It's Sam. I… I think he's going to do something."

* * *

Dean was finally conscious. The breathing tube had been removed and he was sitting up.

Castiel surveyed the many cuts and bruises that decorated the hunter's face. "Are you all right?"

If it hadn't hurt to roll his eyes, he would have done so. "No thanks to you."

"You need to be more careful."

"You need to learn how to manage a damn devil's trap."

"That's not what I mean. Uriel is dead."

"Was it the demons?"

"It was disobedience. He was working against us."

Alastair's words played on a loop in Dean's mind. "Is it true? Did I break the first seal? Did I start all this?"

It took the Angel a minute to answer. "Yes. When we discovered Lilith's plan for you, we laid siege to Hell and we fought our way to get to you before you –"

"Jump-started the apocalypse."

Castiel nodded in agreement. "And we were too late."

"Why didn't you just leave me there, then?"

"It's not blame that falls on you, Dean, it's fate. The righteous man who begins it is the only one who can finish it. You have to stop it."

"Lucifer? The apocalypse? What does that mean? Hey! Don't you go disappearing on me, you son of a bitch. What does that mean!"

"I don't know."

"Bull."

"I don't. Dean, they don't tell me much. I know our fate rests with you."

"Well, then you guys are screwed. I can't do it, Cas. It's too big. Alastair was right. I'm not all here. I'm not - I'm not strong enough. Well, I guess I'm not the man either of our dads wanted me to be. Find someone else. It's not me."

Castiel watched as Dean cried openly. It was all too much for one person to carry. If only Jax were here. Green eyes flashed, and just like that, the tears were gone. "Where is she?"

The Angel shook his head. "We still do not know."

"Then you get up there until you find out where she is, or so help me, I'll –" Castiel disappeared with a flutter of feathers, "kick your celestial ass."

* * *

Jax lie back, her unborn son kicking hard enough that her belly button bulged out. She rest her hand over what she assumed was his knee. "Easy there, tiger." Just as he stopped kicking, her belly tightened and pain built, spreading to her back.

"Shitshitshit." Focusing on her wedding band, she moaned low and heavy, counting until the contraction ebbed. _30 seconds long, 2 hours apart._

Lilith poked her head in the room. "How's it going in here?"

"Get out!"

"Easy, easy. Don't want to upset the baby."

Anger coursed through the hunter. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She still has 5 weeks before her due date. Not to mention being captured and held hostage in a room so heavily warded that not even the Angels could hear her prayers. "Screw you, bitch. You're not getting your hands on him."

A perfectly manicured hand rest on her belly. Power rippled over Jax, holding her to the bed no matter how hard she struggled. The demon gave a squeeze, leaving half-moon indents in Jax's belly. "Don't be so sure. Everything you were convinced wouldn't happen, has."

The crimson lipped smile could only mean one thing, Alastair was dead and a demon blood fueled hunter was responsible. "No."

"Yes, my dear. Everything is as it should be."

Jax watched Lilith leave, fear holding her to the bed instead of the demon's power. She managed to hold it together until the door closed. Turning to her side, she clutched her belly and buried her face into the pillow. For the first time since she had been taken, doubt that she would be rescued took control.


	13. Lucifer Rising Part 1

The contractions were growing stronger, more consistent. They started low in her belly and shot out over her hips, gathering in the small of her back where they grew until she felt like she was going to bite her bottom lip off. Jax hadn’t made a sound the entire time. The last thing she wanted was to alert Lilith to the progression. Every time her belly tightened and pain shot through her, she prayed, even though she knew no one could hear her. 

* * *

Ruby eyed Sam as he rode the demon blood high that made his body feel like it was buzzing. “Sam, relax. It's okay. It's good. Just means you're getting stronger, that's all. It means you're strong enough to kill Lilith. Just in time, too, because the final seals are breaking.”  
  
“How many are left?”  
  
“Three… two –“  
  
The admission took the edge off his high. “What? Where are the angels?”  
  
The demon shrugged. “Screwing the pooch, wherever they are. The point is, it's looking more and more like we're getting down to the final seal. And I found out something big.”  
  
Now his interest was piqued. “What?”  
  
She had him right where she wanted him. Yes, he knew she was working both sides, but she had since convinced him that she was really on their side. Now if she could just convince his little side-kick and older brother. “Seal sixty-six. It can't be broken by just any demon. Apparently, only Lucifer's first can do it.”  
  
“Lucifer's first?”  
  
“Demon Sunday School story. God prefers humans to angels. Lucifer gets jealous and then he gets creative. And he twists and tempts a human soul into the very first demon as a _screw you_ to God. It's what got him locked up in the first place.”  
  
Sam scoffed, shaking his head. “That was Lilith?”  
  
“She's way older than she looks.”  
  
“Wait. So if Lilith is the only one who can break the final seal, if I get to her in time –“  
  
Like a hummingbird to sugar water. “Then Lucifer never busts out of his cage. Exactly.”  
  
“Great. You figure out where she is ever since she went off the grid?”  
  
“The bitch can hide. But I finally have a lead on someone who might be able to help us.” 

* * *

When Sam came back to the room, Dean and Ruby were fighting. Fists flew, legs kicked, it was getting brutal fast. Sam pushed the two apart, holding his brother at bay. “No. Let her go. Just take it easy.”

  
He was pissed, and not just at the fact that the brother he worked so hard to get clean had apparently fallen off the wagon. “Well, it must've been some party you two had going, considering how hard you tried to keep me from crashing it. Well, solid try, but here I am.”  
  
“Dean, I'm glad you're here. Look. Let's just talk about this.”  
  
“Soon as she's dead, we can talk all you want.”  
  
“Ruby, get out of here.”  
  
“No, she's not going anywhere.”

Rather than risk further injury, she listened to Sam and sprinted out of the room.  
  
Dean’s chest heaved as fury rolled through him. “She's poison, Sam.”  
  
“It's not what you think, Dean.”  
  
Dean scoffed, scraping a hand over his face. “Look what she did to you. I mean, she up and vanishes weeks at a time, leaves you cracking out for another hit. And then there’s Nicole… have you even talked to her lately?“  
  
The mention of Nicole’s name made Sam’s stomach flip. But he couldn’t think about her right now. “Ruby is on our side. She was looking for Lilith.”  
  
“That is French for manipulating your ass ten ways from Sunday.”  
  
“You're wrong, Dean.”  
  
“Sam, you're lying to yourself. We just want you to be okay. You would do the same for any one of us. You know you would.”  
  
“Just listen for a second. We got a lead on Lilith, on Jax. Come with us, Dean. We'll do this together.”  
  
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How could Sam not see that Ruby was getting exactly what she wanted? “That sounds great. As long as it's you and me. Demon bitch is a deal breaker. You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now.”  
  
It seemed to take forever before Sam answered. “I can't. Dean, I need her to help me kill Lilith. I know you can't wrap your head around it, but maybe one day you'll understand. I'm the only one who can do this, Dean. I can save Jax!”  
  
“No, you're not the one who's gonna do this.”  
  
Sam rolled his eyes. “Right, that's right, I forgot. The angels think it's you.”  
  
“You don't think I can?”  
  
“No. You can't. You're not strong enough. Your mind isn’t in the game. You’re too focused on Jax and the baby.”  
  
“And who the hell are you?”  
  
“I'm being practical here. I'm doing what needs to be done.”  
  
“Yeah? You're not gonna do a single damn thing.”  
  
“Stop bossing me around, Dean. Look. My whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots, and I trust you because you are my brother. Now I'm asking you, for once, trust me.”  
  
“No. You don't know what you're doing, Sam.”  
  
“Yes, I do.”  
  
“Then that's worse.”  
  
“Why? Look, I'm telling you –“  
  
“Because it's not something that you're doing, it's what you are! It means–“ the words tasted bitter on Dean’s tongue. He couldn’t bear say them out loud.  
  
“What? No. Say it.”

“It means you're a monster.”

Sam had been hurt by words many times before this, mainly from his father, but the words his brother just said hurt him more than all those times before. Sam threw a punch, sending his brother to the floor. Years of hand to hand combat were on Dean’s side. He recovered quickly before throwing a punch of his own. Fueled by the demon blood, it didn’t take long for Sam to dominate the fight.

Sam stood tall over his brother, chest heaving and bruised hands balled into fists at his sides. “I’m doing this to help you, Dean. I’m doing this to save her.”  
  
“You walk out that door, don't you ever come back.”  
  
The door rattled on its hinges as Sam slammed it behind him. Dean fell back, groaning heavily as the realization of everything crashed on him like a wave on the shore.

* * *

“Breathe, Jax.” The demon purred as she pressed a cloth to the hunter’s forehead.

Jax grit her teeth and jerked her head away. “Get the fuck away from me.”

The nurse between the expectant mother’s legs looked nervous, as if her life had been threatened if she didn’t cooperate. Which, let’s face facts, it probably was. “You’re dilated to 7.”

Lilith bounced on the balls of her feet, clapping excitedly. “You hear that? You’re almost there.”

A contraction tore through Jax. Her back arched off the bed as she tore at the sweat dampened sheets. “You’re not getting your damn hands on him!”

The demon made a _tsk tsk_ sound with her tongue. “Not only with I get my damn hands on him,” as if to prove a point, she rest a hand on the ever tightening belly, “but if things go according to plan, you’ll never see him again.” Her heeled feet echoed in the room as she strut out of the room.

The nurse covered up her patient’s legs, giving Jax a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry.”

* * *

Nicole broke down at the table. A glass of whiskey sat between her shaking hands. Bobby handed her a box of tissues and squeezing her shoulder. “I’m sorry, kid.” She shook her head before blowing her nose and taking a healthy pull from the glass.

Bobby left the room and found Dean staring out the window, his brow knit together as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. Ever since Dean came back, the older hunter all but demanded that he call his brother, to make amends, but he was just like his daddy, more stubborn than a jack ass. “Dean? Dean! You listen to a word I said?”

“Yeah, I heard you. I'm not calling him.”

“Don't make me get my gun, boy.”

Dean turned, facing his mentor. “We are damn near kickoff for Armageddon and Lilith has my wife and unborn child, don't you think we got bigger fish at the moment?”

  
“Son, I know you're pissed. And I'm not making apologies for what he's done, but he's your-“

“Blood? He's my blood, is that what you were gonna say?”

“He's your brother. And he's drowning.”

“Bobby, I tried to help him, I did. Look what happened.”

“So try again.”

Dean shook his head heavily. “It's too late.”

“There's no such thing.”

“No, dammit! No. I gotta face the facts. Sam never wanted part of this family. He hated this life growing up. Ran away to Stanford first chance he got. Now it's like déjà vu all over again. Well, I am sick and tired of chasing him. Screw him, he can do what he wants.”

“You don't mean that.”

“Yes I do, Bobby. Sam's gone. He's gone. I'm not even sure if he's still my brother anymore. If he ever was.”

Fuming, Bobby turned and leaned on a table. After a moment, he swept everything off, books and papers flew through the air as he advanced on Dean. “You stupid, stupid son of a bitch! Well, boo hoo, I am so sorry your feelings are hurt, princess! Are you under the impression that family's supposed to make you feel good?! Make you an apple pie, maybe? They're supposed to make you miserable! That's why they're family!”

“I told him, ‘you walk out that door, don't come back’ and he walked out anyway! That was his choice!”

“You sound like a whiny brat. No, you sound like your dad. Well, let me tell you something. Your dad was a coward.”

That made Dean’s blood boil. “My dad was a lot of things, Bobby, but a coward?”

“He'd rather push Sam away than reach out to him. Well, that don't strike me as brave. You are a better man than your daddy ever was. So you do both of us a favor. Don't be him.”

Fighting down the urge to punch Bobby, Dean turned to the window, staring out for a heartbeat before something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned slowly, confusion eating at him as he took in the large, lavishly decorated room. The walls were painted white with gold trim and accents, and a marble table stands in the center.

Castiel inclined his head in greeting. “Hello, Dean. It's almost time.”


	14. Lucifer Rising Part 2

While Cas kept a watchful eye, Dean poked around the room, looking at the magnificent paintings on the walls. He turned back to the table, finding that even though it was empty before, it now held a silver bowl packed with ice and full of beer bottles, and a large platter of hamburgers. He picked up a beer bottle and looked at it.

 

“Hello, Dean. You're looking fit.”

 

Zachariah’s voice grated on the hunter. He replaced the beer bottle before facing the Angels. “Well, how 'bout this? ‘The suite life of Zach and Cas.’” They stared at the hunter blankly, obviously not understanding. “It's a... never mind. So, what is this? Where the hell am I?”

 

“Call it a green room. We're closing in on the grand finale, here. We want to keep you safe before show time. Try a burger. They're your favorite. From that seaside shack in Delaware. You were 11, I think.”

 

“I'm not hungry.”

 

The Angel looked doubtful. This was Dean Winchester after all. “No?”

 

Enough was enough. “Let's... bail on the holodeck, okay? I want to know what the game plan is.”

 

Let us worry about that. We want you... focused, relaxed.”

 

“Well, I'm about to be pissed and leaving, so start talking, Chuckles.”

 

Zachariah sighed. “All the seals have fallen. Except one.”

 

“That's an impressive score. That's... that's right up there with the Washington Generals.”

 

“You think sarcasm's appropriate, do you? Considering... you started all this? But the final seal... it'll be different.”

 

Dean didn’t like the way that sounded. “Why?"

 

 

“Lilith has to break it. She's the only one who can. Tomorrow night - midnight.”

 

“We had already figured that much out, genius. Where?”

 

“We're working on it.”

 

“Well, work harder. She has my wife!”

 

“We'll do our job. You just make sure you do yours.”

 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and what is that, exactly? If I'm supposed to be the one that stops her, how? With the knife?”

 

“All in good time.”

 

“Isn't now a good time?”

 

“Have faith.”

 

“What, in you? Give me one good reason why I should.”

 

The Angel had had enough. He got in Dean’s face, all but spitting as he spoke. “Because you swore your obedience. So obey.” 

* * *

Alone in the room, Dean paced. His mind reeled as he tried to process everything that had happened and that would happen. “Ah, screw it.” Flipping open the phone, he dialed his brother.

 

“It's Sam. Leave me a message."

 

“Hey, it's me. Uh... look, I'll just get right to it. I'm still pissed... and I owe you a serious beat down. But... I shouldn't have said what I said. You know, I'm not Dad. We're brothers. You know, we're family. And, uh... no matter how bad it gets, that doesn't change. Sammy, I'm sorry.” 

* * *

Jax cried out through clenched teeth. The contractions were stronger and more frequent than before. She fisted the sweat dampened sheets until her knuckles turned white. God help her, she tried not to push. She couldn’t have this baby here. Not when a demon was waiting to kill him.  

 

Lilith strode in with one of her henchmen trailing her. “Things are progressing?”

 

The nurse that had just checked Jax’s cervix nodded, tossing a pair of latex gloves into the trash.

 

“Excellent. Pick her up. She’s coming with us.”

 

The henchman grunted, crossing the room in four long legged strides.

 

It didn’t matter that Jax wanted to kick and punch and fight her way out of his iron grip, she didn’t have the strength for it. A contraction tore through her and she gripped at her belly, screaming as the trio disappeared. 

* * *

After finding out that Zachariah had no intention of stopping the Apocalypse, Dean was finally able to convince Castiel to help him escape. Granted, it took an almost broken hand and a temper tantrum that any 5 year old would be proud of, but the Angel agreed; banishing his brother, if only for a few minutes.

 

“He won't be gone long. We have to find Sam now.”

 

“Where is he?” 

 

“I don't know. But I know who does. We have to stop him, Dean, from killing Lilith.”

 

“But Lilith's gonna break the final seal. She’s going to kill my son.”

 

The Angel shook his head. “ _Lilith_ is the final seal. She dies, the end begins.” 

* * *

Ruby crossed her arms, irritated with the hunter. “Sam, it's time. Are we doing this or not?”

 

“Give me a minute to think.”

 

“Sam –“

 

“Give me a damn minute, Ruby!”

 

“Better think fast.”

 

Sam pulled out his cell phone and connected to the voicemail his brother had left. “Listen to me, you bloodsucking freak. Dad always said I'd either have to save you or kill you. Well, I'm giving you fair warning. I'm done trying to save you. You're a monster, Sam - a vampire. You're not you anymore. And there's no going back.”

 

Clenching his jaw, Sam turned off the phone and nodded curtly. “Do it.”

 

 “Thank god” 

* * *

Dean stared hard at Chuck. “St. Mary's? What is that, a convent?”

 

“Yeah, but you guys aren't supposed to be there. You're not in this story.”

 

Glancing at Dean, Castiel gave an almost human shrug. “Yeah, well... we're making it up as we go.”

 

The computer screen flickered as a rumbling echoed through the room. A white light exploded, blinding the humans.

 

Castiel shouted over the noise. “It's the Archangel! I'll hold him off! I'll hold them all off! Just stop Sam!” He touched Dean on the forehead, transporting him to the convent. 

* * *

Jax lay on an altar, her legs propped up and a demon between them, urging her unborn child out. It didn’t matter how hard she tried not to, her body betrayed her and pushed her son into Lilith’s hands. The new mother fell back and wept as Lilith cleaned off the baby with a damp towel. “Please, Lilith. Give him to me. You… you don’t have to do this. Please! Give me my son!”

 

His cries echoed in the stone room after the umbilical cord was cut and tied off. Lilith wrapped him in a thick blanket and walked around the altar. “Don't be afraid, little one. We're going to save the world.” Lilith’s head snapped up when a figure appeared in the hall.

 

“Sam.” Jax choked on a sob in relief.

 

The hunter stalked closer and was just about to enter the room when the door slammed shut with a flick of Lilith’s wrist.

 

With blood running down her shaking legs, Jax pushed off the altar and caught the demon off guard, punching her in the side of the head. Lilith’s grip on the baby loosened just enough that Jax was able to grab him before falling to the floor.

 

The door flew open and before Lilith could say or do anything, she was flung across the room and slammed into the altar, falling next to Jax. Sam, with Ruby behind him, advanced and pushed out his hand again, forcing Lilith back against the altar.

 

After placing a kiss to her son’s head, Jax saw Dean run around the corner at the end of the hall. She gave a shout of his name just as Ruby looked over her shoulder. The demon thrust her hand out and used her power to shut the doors.

 

Sam stalked closer to Lilith. “I've been waiting for this... for a very long time.”

 

Lilith sneered. “Then give me your best shot.”

 

He reached out and threw his power at her. Lilith screamed as white light exploded in the room. Jax bowed herself around her son, protecting them both from the intense light.

 

The light faded as Sam lowered his hand, turning to look at the door as his brother called out for him and Jax, banging on the obstacle. The sound of his brother, Jax, and their newborn son began to eat at the control the demon blood had on the hunter.

 

Ruby stood on tip toe and whispered in his ear. “What are you waiting for?! Now! Sam, now!”

 

Lilith sat up and laughed. “You turned yourself into a freak. A monster. And now you're not gonna bite? I'm sorry, but that is honestly adorable.”

 

“Sam, no!” Jax’s protest fell on deaf ears. She watched as he stood tall and raised his hand at the demon, as his eyes turned black, as he concentrated all his power, and threw it at the demon. Lilith convulsed and her body glowed. The light inside her flickering with every slowing beat of her heart before finally falling limp on the floor. When she did, Sam’s eyes turned back to normal. Blood poured out of Lilith’s body in a steady stream and flowed toward the middle of the room.

 

Jax clutched at her son. “What the hell?”

 

Ruby scoffed in disbelief. “I can’t believe it.”

 

“Ruby, what’s going on?” 

  
“You did it, Sam. I mean, it was a little touch and go there for a while, but... you did it.”

 

Sam’s eyes darted from Jax to Lilith before settling on Ruby. “What? What - what did I do?”

 

“You opened the door. And now he's free at last. He's free at last!”

 

Sam shook his head, denial settling into his bones. “No, no, no. No, he - Lilith - I stopped her. I killed her!”

 

“And it is written that the first demon shall be the last seal. And you bust her open. Now guess who's coming to dinner.”

 

Jax felt like she was going to throw up. “Oh, my god.”

 

“Guess again.” The demon leveled her with a deadly glare. “You don't even know how hard this was! All the demons out for my head. No one knew. I was the best of those sons of bitches! The most loyal! Not even Alastair knew! Only Lilith! Yeah, I'm sure you're a little angry right now, but, I mean, come on, Sam! Even you have to admit - I'm - I'm awesome!”

 

“You bitch. You lying bitch!” Sam thrust his hands at Ruby, but instead of throwing her against the wall with his power, pain erupted in his head.

 

“Don't hurt yourself, Sammy. It's useless. You shot your payload on the boss.”

 

“The blood... you poisoned me.”

 

“No. It wasn't the blood. It was you... and your choices. I just gave you the options, and you chose the right path every time. You didn't need the feather to fly, you had it in you the whole time, Dumbo! I know it's hard to see it now... but this is a miracle. So long coming. Everything Azazel did, and Lilith did. Just to get you here. And you were the only one who could do it.”

   
“Why? W-why me?”

 

"Because... because it had to be you, Sammy. It always had to be you. You saved us. You set him free. And he's gonna be grateful. He's gonna repay you in ways that you can't even imagine.”

 

After pounding on the door for what seemed like hours, Dean finally broke through. Drawing the demon killing blade from a hidden sheath, he stalked into the room.

 

Ruby stood, ready to confront him. “You’re too late.”

 

“I don't care.”

 

Sam stood and grabbed Ruby from behind, holding her in place as Dean stabbed the blade deep into her stomach. Orange light flickered in her eyes and mouth until she fell to the floor.

 

Dean rushed over to Jax, dropping kisses to the top of her head and brushing a hand over his son’s head. “You ok?”

 

“I will be. We gotta get out of here.” She couldn’t keep the tears at bay any longer.

 

Sam stood behind his brother. “I’m sorry.”

 

The blood pouring out of Lilith finished its pattern on the floor. A brilliant white light shot up from the central point of the pattern and the convent began to tremble.

 

Dean took the baby and handed him to Sam so he could sweep Jax into his arms. “Let’s go.”

 

For the first time in a long time, Sam sounded scared. “Dean... he's coming.”

 

“Come on!”

 

The brothers ran away from the blood sigil only to have the doors slam shut. Sam tried to open the door with his free hand, but it was no use. A high pitched noise erupted from the light, forcing everyone to hit the floor, and cover their eyes and ears as best as they could. When the light reached the edges of the sigil, everything stopped. 

* * *

Sam, still holding the baby, turned to Dean with wide eyes. They were in an alley and nowhere near the covenant. “What the hell?”

 

Dean shrugged his shoulders as best as he could with Jax’s arms wrapped around his neck. “I don’t know.”

 

“Dean… hospital.” Her voice was so much weaker than before.

 

A column of white light shot up into the sky, followed quickly by a shockwave that set off all the car alarms within a 10 mile radius. Jax groaned before going limp in Dean’s arms. 

* * *

While Jax and the baby were being examined, Dean flipped through the channels on the television in the waiting room.

 

_-saying it’s very unlikely an abandoned covenant would be a target for terrorists, either foreign or homegrown._

 

_Hurricane Kinley, unexpectedly slamming into the Galveston area –_

 

_\- announced a successful test of the North Korean nuclear –_

 

_\-  series of tremors –_

 

_\- swine flu –_

 

Dean turned off the television before throwing the remote across the room.

 

“Dean, look –“

 

“Don’t say anything. It’s ok. We just gotta keep our heads down and hash this out, alright?”

 

Running a hand through his hair, Sam nodded. “Yeah, ok.”

 

“Alright. First of all, how’d we end up behind the hospital?”

 

“Angels, maybe? I mean, you know, beaming us out of harm’s way?”

 

“Well, whatever. It’s the least of our worries. We need to find Cas. But first –“ he stepped around his brother when a doctor entered the waiting room.

 

“Mr. Collins?”

 

Dean shook the doctor’s hand. “How is she?”

 

“There were some tears that attributed to the bleeding, but we got them sutured up.”

 

“And… and the baby?”

 

“Your son is perfectly healthy and resting with his mother. You can go in and see them if you’d like.”

 

Sam clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Go on." 

* * *

Jax held her son close and ran her fingers through his feather soft strawberry blonde hair as he slept. She didn’t even know Dean was in the room until he carefully sat down on the edge of the bed. He bent down and pressed a kiss to his newborn son’s forehead, breathing him in with a shuddering breath.

 

“We’re ok.” Her voice betrayed her words.

 

Dean looked into her tear-filled eyes and kissed her firmly, tangling a hand in her hair. “I’m sorry –“

 

“No. Don’t apologize, Dean. Ok? We’re all alive, that’s what matters.”

 

Their son hiccuped in his sleep, twisting his face at the new sensation. “What are we gonna name him?”

 

“I was thinking Robert John.”

 

Dean smiled a smile that made his eyes crinkle. “Yeah, that’s perfect." 

* * *

Sam paced back and forth as the line rang a handful of times before a very tired voice answered. “Please don’t hang up, Nic.”

 

She sniffled loudly, running a hand under nose. “Whad’ya want?”

 

“I… I fucked up and I’m sorry. Ruby is dead and Lucifer is free. Please… please forgive me. I need you.” He was crying now, wiping furiously at his face with his hand.

 

“Come home, baby."


End file.
